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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24367423">The Hero's Universe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norasgalaxy/pseuds/Norasgalaxy'>Norasgalaxy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Anxiety Attacks, Basically me putting Steven back through the ringer, Broken Bone Boys, Broken Bones, CPTSD, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Depression, Dimension Travel, Kinda, Memory Loss, Multi, Multiverse, Outbursts, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, World Travel, more trauma!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:54:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>37,404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24367423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norasgalaxy/pseuds/Norasgalaxy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months have passed since Spinel visited Earth with a giant injector and the Crystal gems go through Pink Diamonds "storage" place where the injector originated from. After messing with an interesting artifact similar to the time glass Steven finds himself in an alternate universe filled with heroes! What has Steven gotten himself into?</p><p>This Fanfic has been translated!</p><p>Español:  https://www.wattpad.com/story/256611551?utm_source=ios&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_content=story_info&amp;wp_page=story_details&amp;wp_uname=NorasGalaxy&amp;wp_originator=Y4BDlG%2BOc80NWEhI90rbQsVPEHSNNkRLShgsI8XXWdp7eeQlxfONqeKdlfbrVUFdZws0AwR5P9RuQgjA3X4g%2BpB7c1DMFfTZ4limWHMPagcH%2FHaGkesoamLiJppNWttG</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Kaminari Denki/Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>344</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Mistakes Were Made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I couldn't find an active or finished fic on this so I decided to do it myself. This is my first fully-fledged fanfic on this platform. </p><p> I'm rewriting the first few chapters including this one.</p><p>P.S. - Mineta is being replaced by Steven. (Sorry!)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Why are we doing this again?" The purple gem groaned.</p><p>The gems stepped off the warp gems onto a large floating platform in space. It looked like Pink's garden as it floated in the void of space. On the platform multiple artifacts sat on podiums with a pump near an empty space in the middle of it. Steven rubbed his eyes. The caffeine from his coffee was starting to wear off.</p><p> Garnet stepped forward after a few minutes of lingering on the warp pad. "We've been putting off destroying these items for far too long. Now that Steven has temporarily returned from his road trip we can decide what to do with them." </p><p>Steven's eyes filled with paranoia as he noticed the platform that once housed the same injector that had almost destroyed his world nearly 2 years ago. His mind lingered back to when he stood on the injector, attempting to reason with Spinel. A flash of what seemed like a memory appeared before his eyes; a pink gem with a sinister smile, screaming, manic laughing, violence. The sound of the wind overloaded his senses and he couldn't help from disassociating.</p><p> A familiar motherly touch laid a hand on his shoulder grounding him to reality. With a sweet tone a voice said "Steven? Are you ok?"</p><p>When he looked up he quickly found Pearl's eyes. Pearl didn't seem as tall as she did when he last saw her. Was he really gone that long? It had only been 4 months since he left his childhood home but it felt more like 4 years. He felt bad for making her worry "Oh I'm fi- No I'm not ok I just want to get this over with." he quickly amended. He was doing better in therapy but he still slips up sometimes.</p><p>Pearl gave a single nod and went to inspect the artifacts that were left by Pink Diamond before the war. Pearl described every item and only a few were harmless to be around a human... or half-human anyway. He looked around he found a small round object with two hourglasses in it. It looked a lot like the time glass but a bit smaller. Steven shifted a bit as another traumatic memory threatened to resurface. He pressed his nails into the palm of his hand to ground himself and the memory faded.</p><p> "HEYO!!!" </p><p>Steven screamed.</p><p>"Ugh. Amethyst!"</p><p>"Whatcha lookin' at?" </p><p>Amethyst picked up the small object and shook it. The hourglass started glowing.</p><p> Steven snatched it from her hands instinctively.</p><p>"You really shouldn't touch it!" </p><p>The hourglass glowed purple as a portal emitted from the hourglass pulling everything in as if it were a black hole. Amethyst held onto the wrist of Steven's jacket as she struggled to grasp his hand. Pearl grabbed a hold of Amethyst as Garnet held onto Pearl. </p><p>"Please don't let me go!"</p><p>Tears streamed down Steven's face as he was pulled further into the portal. It felt like someone was pulling him from the other side. Amethyst's grip tightened while his jacket started to rip. The force of the portal was too strong and Steven's jacket tore flinging him backward. The portal shut instantly afterward.</p><p>"STEVEN!!!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Friendly Introduction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steven wakes up to a friendly but unfamiliar face.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steven could feel the lights on his eyes as he slowly came to. He heard beeping which prompted him to take a look around as white fluorescent lights flashed in his eyes. He looked around. An EKG, a bedside table, a few chairs, a tv that was playing the news, and a sink with cabinets stuffed with medical supplies. There was a whiteboard signed with numerous names of doctors and nurses. His arm had an I.V. poking through it. ‘What happened to me?’</p><p>His right hand moved out to touch his face when he felt thick bandages wrapped around his head. He hissed in pain as he pulled the IV out of his skin. ‘I’ve never been this hurt before. What happened?’</p><p>Steven pulled all the bandages off with care. Just like all his previous injuries, not a single one lingered for too long as his body was completely healed. </p><p>Steven thought back to the last few moments he remembered. ‘The gems screaming, someone crying, a bright light… The TV turned to static as his very last memories flickered for just a moment. Steven's hair stood on end. He ran to unplug the tv and looked outside. ‘I can see a beach but I don’t think I’m anywhere near Beach City.’ </p><p>Steven looked around for any sign of his phone. He upturned almost everything searching through the bedside table, drawers, and all the cabinets. His search turned up empty to his dismay. ‘Figures. I hope the gems come to get me soon.’</p><p>____________________________________</p><p> </p><p>Midoriya looked up from his phone as he walked down the hospital corridor and caught the eyes of a police officer. The feeling of guilt rushed to his brain as he recalled the events of yesterday. ‘If I just left it to the pro heroes then this guy wouldn’t have gotten hurt...’ He screwed his eyes shut as he lingered just outside the door.</p><p>Worry crept into his mind. The police had no way of identifying this person. Izuku placed a hand on his chin inquisitively. No school ID, no family members even came up to identify him. The only narrowing factor was the use of a very powerful and unique quirk…</p><p>‘His poor family probably is searching everywhere for him.’</p><p>The smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils as he stopped just in front of the mysterious teen’s door.</p><p> ‘Just open the door and apologize.’</p><p>____________________________________</p><p> </p><p>Steven turned his head when he heard a knock at the door.</p><p> </p><p>“Come in!”</p><p> </p><p>Steven had expected Pearl to rush in all worried followed by Garnet, Amethyst, his dad, or Connie but he was not expecting the face he had come to see outside his door. </p><p>A teenager around his height with dark green hair and green eyes nervously stumbled into the room his hands clenched in fists at his side. </p><p>Steven's face warped into multiple signs of confusion. ‘Who’s this?’</p><p>The green-haired teenager decided to take initiative and speak first.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello, my name is Izuku Midoriya.” He bowed as he talked </p><p>“I wanted to thank you for saving me during that sludge incident.”</p><p>“-And that I am so sorry that you got hurt.”</p><p> </p><p>Steven thought to himself for a minute.’ I think this guy has the wrong room.’</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry but I think you have the wrong room number.” he mumbled. His face was struck with confusion. </p><p>____________________________________</p><p> </p><p>Izuku’s stance faltered a bit as he went to look back in the hallway.</p><p>Izuku looked back at the hospital door which bore the number 217 on the front with a police officer standing directly outside. There was no denying that he was in the right place. And, honestly, who could forget a face like Steven’s?</p><p>Midoriya looked a little hurt that he couldn’t remember him but then again he did hit his head extremely hard yesterday.</p><p>“Y-Your name is Steven, right?”</p><p>“How did you know?” </p><p>“Do you remember anything that happened yesterday?”</p><p>“I came back home with Connie?” He was starting to get a little weirded out. His life may be pretty strange but this is the weirdest conversation he’s ever had recently.</p><p> Izuku gasped. He didn’t remember the incident at all. He thought for a moment and pulled out his phone. He flipped through the news channel and it didn’t take him long to find the correct video he was looking for. He handed the phone to Steven as a video started playing. </p><p>The sludge monster had a teenager with platinum blonde hair and red eyes trapped as the teen attempted to escape their grasp. Many Pro-Heroes were struggling to get any closer to the spiky-haired kid. Izuku ran past the crowd to help him but then a portal appeared out of nowhere with a familiar purple glow. A teen with curly dark brown hair sporting a pink varsity jacket with a black shirt that bore a bright yellow star fell onto the concrete. Low-level villains came from all directions. A bright flash of pink blinded the camera for a moment. The video ended.</p><p>“I’m sorry I don’t remember that at all.” Steven fiddled with the sheets of the bed looking slightly.</p><p>A loud knock rattled the door as a doctor came through. “Oh good you’re awake.” the doctor turned to Izuku. “I hope I’m not interrupting something, but I need to examine my patient.” She turned to get out of the way of the door. </p><p>“Oh. It’s ok, you weren’t interrupting.” Midoriya turned to Steven. “Goodbye. I’ll be waiting outside if you have any questions for me.”</p><p>Steven waved as the other teen closed the door behind him.</p><p>“Hello, I’m Dr. Chiba. I’m just going to do a few tests while I’m here.” She looked at the mess of undone bandages laying on the bedside table. “You really shouldn’t remove these yourself.” She pointed at his now removed IV “Especially this.”</p><p>As she examined him she took notes of how all his injuries have miraculously healed themselves incredibly fast. “You must have a very impressive healing quirk for all your injuries to have already healed.”</p><p>He gave a nervous laugh in response “Haha- wait what?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading. Bear with me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Quirky Conversation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A very informative talk.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What’s a quirk?”</p><p>Dr.Chiba was taken aback for a few moments. “You know... Quirk. What’s your superpower?” She asked slowly.</p><p>Steven nearly fell off of the bed “How did you know?!” he squeaked his eyes wide with panic.</p><p>“Your fast healing and quirk genes.” She stated matter of factly as she pointed towards Steven’s stomach.</p><p>Steven’s hand fell on his gem. “Quirk genes?” He mumbled.</p><p>“Like that gemstone you have on your stomach. I have a quirk gene too.” The doctor turned to show Steven the set of small wings she had been concealing which resided on the back of her waist. </p><p>Steven stuttered. His mind was spinning. ‘This doctor is talking about superpowers like it was an everyday occurrence.’</p><p>She grabbed a writing board that was hanging on the wall. “Let’s get started. What is your full legal name?”</p><p>“Steven Quartz Demayo Diamond Universe.”</p><p>“That’s quite a name. What’s your age.”</p><p>“16.”</p><p>“Legal Guardian’s name?”</p><p>“Greg Universe, Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet.”</p><p>“General Practitioner?”</p><p>“Dr. Maheswaran..?” He said slowly as if he were unsure.</p><p>She hummed in thought. “Do you know your social security number?”</p><p>“Oh. I don’t have one.” Steven shrugged.</p><p>The doctor looked up from her board. “So you don’t know your social security number?”</p><p>“I know I don’t have one.” Steven hummed. “I don’t have a birth certificate either yet. Will that be a problem?”</p><p>“What do you mean yet?”</p><p>“My dad and I are trying to get me set up for one.”<br/>______________________________________________________________________</p><p>The chief of police arrived, and to Izuku’s surprise, so did All Might. It was clear that he would not be able to speak to Steven for a while. He sat on a bench he found just down the hall and listened to the things going on around him. Doctors went in and out of some patient's rooms and he heard laughter coming from a room down the hall. The noisiness of the Hospital died down as day turned to night. His eyes weighed himself down.</p><p>______________________________________________________________________</p><p>She crossed out the social security number on her board. A knock at the door sounded and two people stepped in. A very muscular man with short slicked back hair with two signature tufts sticking up walked in wearing a costume that looked like a flag threw up all over it. He wore a big smile on his face. A very tall, sturdily built man with the head of a beagle walked in alongside the blonde. The area around his eyes and his ears was a dark brown, the two sides separated by a tan line which ran down his forehead, widening at his muzzle. He had a large, black nose and dark eyes, and the rest of his body was that of a normal human shape. He wore a police uniform.</p><p>‘That person looks like a dog! No Steven that’s rude. Some people just look different.’ Steven struggled to keep a straight face as he looked at the pair. The doctor went over to the police and whispered in his ear then left the room to give them space.</p><p>“Hello?” his voice cracked as Steven forced a smile. “How are you?”</p><p> </p><p>Steven sat through as he was on the receiving end of a heated scolding that spewed from the two. Steven was silent as he sat there absorbing every word. All might’s words softened towards the end but the Chief of Police didn't. He addressed that even though he didn’t remember the incident he still was responsible for what happened and never should have interfered. Tears pricked the corners of Steven’s eyes. He hated being in trouble or causing others to worry. All might protest that it was admirable what he did but that did little to comfort him. </p><p>Steven wiped away his tears “May I ask a few questions?”</p><p>Tsuragamae murmured “I should be asking you that.”</p><p>Steven ignored him “Where am I?” </p><p>“You’re in Hosu General Hospital.” All Might beckoned.</p><p>“...Where might that be located?” Steven asked slowly.</p><p>The two grownups glanced at each other “Hosu City, just west of Tokyo.” The Chief replied.</p><p>“As in Tokyo, Japan? We’re in Japan?!” Steven exclaimed. He quickly brought both his hands up to quiet himself not wanting to disrupt anyone next door. Steven stared at the ceiling attempting to organize his thoughts before speaking. Tsuragamae and Toshinori looked at each other both wearing the same amount of shock on their face. Steven’s face grew determined.</p><p>Yagi’s words died in his throat as Steven cut him off. “Where is my family.” a pang of desperation was hinted in his tone.</p><p>“We have yet to locate anyone by the name of Greg, Pearl, Amethyst, or Garnet Universe in the databases we have access to.” Kenji said.</p><p>Steven gave a soft laugh. The idea of the gems taking up the name universe seemed foreign to him. An idea crawled its way through his brain. “Do you know where my phone is? I’ll be able to show you a picture of them.” he explained.</p><p>“I’ll go talk to the nurses to see about getting your items back to you tomorrow.” Steam seeped from All Might as he began to reach his time limit. “We should let you rest for now though.” The moonlight shone on Steven’s bed. </p><p>_________________________________________________________________</p><p>Izuku felt a familiar hand fall on his shoulder as his mentor looked down at him in his weaker form. He felt drowsy. 'Since how long have I been asleep?’</p><p>"You should probably start getting home. Your mother will be worried about you." Toshinori said. His face always looked rather glum. Izuku's gaze fell on Steven's door.</p><p> "He'll be discharged in the morning.” Toshinori brought his hand up as he saw Izuku preparing to interrupt. “Don't worry he didn't sustain any lasting injuries." He looked his successor up and down, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'He needs to stop blaming himself. That's not going to help anyone.' Izuku took his notebook out of his bag and flipped to the last page and ripped it out. He spent a few minutes writing his phone number out on the paper and handed it to Toshinori.</p><p>"Can you give this to Steven for me.” Yagi took the paper from Izuku’s hands and gave it a once over. “Of course. You really should start getting home now though.”</p><p>Izuku opened his phone.</p><p>28 missed calls from Mom</p><p>Izuku paled as he hastily grabbed all his stuff and bolted down the halls mumbling a few words of apologies and goodbyes. </p><p>______________________________________________________________________</p><p>Steven laid back on the bed whilst staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. His thoughts were too loud for him to sleep. He turned to face the door watching the light dance beyond the room as people walked up and down the halls. One shadowy figure stopped at his door. Steen screwed his eyes shut as he listened to any sound that might indicate danger. He felt a familiar albeit unwelcome light shone on his eyes. A sound of paper sliding across the floor caused him to flinch. His eyes flung open and his cheeks dimmed in their pink light. He crawled out of bed and picked up a piece of notebook paper that sat in front of his door. </p><p>‘If you ever need someone to talk to -Midoriya.’</p><p>A phone number was very neatly written just below the message. Steven smiled and placed it on his bedside table.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Day of The Exam: Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Months have passed since their initial meeting at the hospital and they find themselves running into each other once again at the practical exam.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW Minor Self Harm: if you wish to skip this scene: "Steven got up from his chair..." to 'The thought of robots...'</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Months have passed since we ever had a chance to speak to each other. I had been busy training with All Might in order to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a hero.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Izuku ran towards the exam entrance stopping just before going under the UA sign. “Made it just in time.” he huffed. ‘I was so worried about missing the exam that I didn't have a chance to test out my new power.’ He thought back to earlier that morning, putting a hand over his mouth.</p><p>“I may have swallowed the hair, but I don’t feel like anything great is happening.” he mumbled. ‘Certainly, I should feel something right? Maybe not.’</p><p>“Stupid Deku..” A familiar voice growled. Midoriya turned to see Bakugo walking behind him.</p><p>“Kaachan.”</p><p>“Get out of my way before I set you on fire.”</p><p>Midoriya stumbled over a greeting as he jumped out of the way of his explosive childhood friend. Izuku waited for some kind of pain to set in as he expected him to deliver on his not so empty threat, but he just kept walking. Some other applicants noticed Bakugo from the sludge incident on the news. ‘Ever since that day, Bakugo’s been taking it easier on me.’ Midoriya let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. ‘I guess I was just scared out of habit.’ He shook his head and stiffened ‘-But I am not defenseless anymore.’</p><p>He looked at the UA sign, his body relaxing as he thought about the last 10 months. ‘Yeah. I have to remember all the work I’ve put in. Thanks to All Might I’m actually going to be a hero!’ He tripped over himself and started falling towards the ground. ‘-Or I’ll just die.’</p><p>His plummet towards the ground suddenly came to a halt. An unfamiliar voice came from beside him. He looked over to see a girl with short light brown hair wearing a bright smile. “Are you ok?”</p><p>He freaked out and started screaming at the fact that he was floating just above the pavement. The girl just giggled pulling him back onto the ground in an upright position.</p><p>“I stopped you with my quirk.” She placed her fingers together and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask first, but I figured you wouldn’t mind me catching you.”</p><p>She started talking about how nerve-wracking the exam was while Izuku stumbled over words that never came out.</p><p>“Welp guess I’ll see you inside. Bye!” She turned and walked towards the door.</p><p>‘Holy woah I just talked to a girl!’ Izuku thought to himself. Even though he didn’t actually speak, he started to get all giddy before heading inside himself. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A man stood on the stage in front of the auditorium. He had blond hair that gathered into spikes at the end, who wore hipster glasses and dressed in a black jacket. “What's up UA candidates! Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ!” He announced as if he were participating in a radio talk show. “Come on and let me hear ya!” he put a hand on his ear expecting a reply that only came in the form of one person out of the entire stadium.</p><p>Steven blushed as most of the people around him turned to tell him to be quiet. He stumbled over quiet apologies that were being ignored. Steven frowned.</p><p>“Keepin’ it mellow huh? Thank you to that one person though.” the DJ brushed off the lack of a majority response. “That’s fine I’ll skip straight to the main show. Let’s talk about how this practical exam is going to go down. OK?” The speaker attempted to incite another response from the audience. “ARE YOU READY? Yeah!”</p><p>Izuku blushed and put his hands on his cheeks as he recognized the speaker as the famous voice hero: Present Mic. He started to mutter his fanboying to the people around him clearly not taking into account that all of this was being said aloud which earned him a cold response from Bakugo to shut up. Steven overheard Izuku’s mumbling from two rows above him. ‘Guess he’s famous.’ He thought with a shrug having never heard of this guy from the time he’s been here.</p><p>Present Mic went over how the practical would go, mentioning only three robots that had points running on the 1-3 scale and how it would be set in an urban setting. He also mentioned the different battle centers for each group. Steven looked down at the card in his hand which showed four different kinds of robots. ‘So based on that information I’m in battle center B but I thought there would only be three robots…’ As if his mind was being read, another teenager with dark black hair and glasses stood up to ask a question.</p><p>“On the print out you’ve listed four types of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful.” Steven flinched. ‘That could’ve been said another way..’</p><p>“We are exemplary students, we expect the best from Japan’s most notable school. A mistake such as this won’t do.” He suddenly turned and pointed at Midoriya. “- Additionally you with unkempt hair!” Midoriya flinched and pointed at himself, not expecting to get called out. “You’ve been muttering this entire time."</p><p>"Stop that." </p><p>"If you can’t bother to take this seriously, leave. You’re distracting the rest of us.” Izuku placed his hands on his mouth muttering an apology. Steven frowned. “And you with the pink jacket!” He turned to point at Steven. “Yelling as you did earlier was seriously distracting. Don’t do it again.”</p><p>Steven tried to shrug off what he said despite the massive blush that was forming on his face. He didn’t see how responding was something bad. A smattering of laughter murmured throughout the once quiet room, causing both Steven and Izuku to blush even more.</p><p>As Present Mic got ahold of the situation, everyone stopped talking as he explained that the fourth villain was just an obstacle and held no points. The student who asked the question sat back down in his seat after giving a slight bow. Some talked among themselves about the upcoming challenges.</p><p>“I’ll send off with a little present: A sample of our school motto. As general Napoleone Buonaparte once laid down; A true hero is one who overcomes life’s misfortunes."</p><p>“<em>Mmhmm,</em> now that’s a tasty soundbite!”</p><p>“You ready to go beyond? Let’s hear a PLUS ULTRA!” he paused for a few seconds before giving a thumbs up.</p><p>“Good Luck! Hope you practiced hitting more than just books...”</p><p>Steven got up from his chair in the auditorium and slowly made his way to his assigned battle center. ‘Come on Universe, focus.’ He hadn’t trained ever since Jasper… He shivered, unable to stop the tremor that seized his body as he thought about what happened on that day. <strike>“You’re right Jasper!” A pink glow spread across his face. “I have been holding back.” Jasper’s eyes looked upon him. Fear filled her eyes as he unleashed his power.</strike> Steven's eyes shot open. Hands had found their way up to his scalp as he pulled on his hair. Blood dripped down the tips of his fingers as he let his arm fall to his side.</p><p>The thought of going up against robots brought a sense of comfort to him. ‘Maybe I should have gone through recommendations as Tanjiro suggested.’ He thought back to the pale ginger and the bright, unwavering smile he wore on his face whenever Steven entered the room. A memory of his dad flickered in his subconscious.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> The past few months had left Steven utterly heartbroken as police were never able to locate any one of Steven's family or friends. It’s as if everyone he knew never actually existed. Pink outbursts were almost as regular as the day he discovered the newfound power.</p><p>
  <strong>*Around 5 months ago.*</strong>
</p><p>A couple walked in and sat down at a very small table in the center of a small meeting room. Tanjiro looked around the bright colored room nervously. “What if he doesn’t like us?” He squeaked. He looked down at a piece of paper that had a picture of Steven and a description of a few things he could do and liked. His eyes were fixed as if he was attempting to memorize it word for word. Nami placed a reassuring hand over his shaking shoulder. The short, white-haired woman pulled him into a side hug, running a smooth hand down his back. “It’ll be fine. Ok?”</p><p>Steven walked in wearing his signature star shirt with his pink jacket with a few pride buttons and bracelets. He also wore a nervous smile that rivaled that of Tanjiro’s as he awkwardly shuffled through the open door and stiffly sat down on the chair.</p><p>Nami managed to work up the courage to speak first “Hello my name is Nami Chiyo and this is my husband Tanjiro.” Her voice wavered as she gestured a hand towards the tall ginger holding onto her arm as if it were a lifeline. “We are very pleased to meet you, Steven.” She held out her hand for him to shake which he gladly took.</p><p>The tension in the room dissipated as the conversation steered towards something more positive. They asked him about his hobbies and his quirk(s). Tan smiled, thinking about his mother who had a healing quirk just like Steven’s.</p><p>Nami was a lesser-known rescue hero. Her quirk was called stop-motion, she had the ability to freeze people and objects in place if she touched them. Tanjiro was a businessman for some paper company. He didn’t have a quirk but that didn’t matter to Steven. If anything he was still getting used to the idea of quirks. The people at the Quirk Registration Center were baffled by the list Steven handed in on all his powers. Apparently having a multitude of quirks was a rare sight to see.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Steven looked upon the battle center in awe. “Woah.” ‘This place is huge!’ The sheer size of the building alone was intimidating not to mention the number of people who’ve gathered in front of the entrance. A few people were talking to those among them while others took a breather. He could hear frantic screams and mumbling from behind him.</p><p>Steven’s eyes searched the crowd to find where the noise was coming from when he saw a short, green-haired student being stared down by a guy with glasses. Steven squirted at the pair. ‘Oh, that’s the guy from earlier who asked a question.’</p><p>Midoriya stammered as he tried to defend himself for attempting to talk to the girl from earlier. ‘Why do I feel like everybody has already written me off?’ Steven emerged from the crowd to get closer. A sense of deja vu lingered over him when he saw Izuku’s face. He looked incredibly uncomfortable with the current discussion. Iida suddenly turned and left seemingly content with what he said. Steven's body propelled himself forward as if on its own as he held a hand in front of Midoriya.</p><p>“Are you ok?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was going to make this longer but Ifelt like I was taking way to long to write this and felt bad so I'll be making it a parter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Day of The Exam: Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steven doesn't know how to feel about his results. </p><p>TW- Panic attack</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Izuku peered at the student standing in front of him, gladly taking the offered hand. Steven gave him a not so inconspicuous glance. He looked… familiar. Lately, his memory has been failing him. Steven rolled back on his heels rocking back and forth as words failed to exit his brain. Well, it was awkward, to say the least. Not only did the silence drag out uncomfortably long, but it was also the fact that the clear attempts to talk that came from both of them died in their throats. For once in Midoriya’s life, he was at a loss for words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-RUN RUN RUN LISTENERS, YOU ARE WASTING AIRTIME!” Present Mic announced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Practical Exam wasn’t exactly going well as Izuku made his way through the mock city. He hadn’t managed to get a single point until a Zero pointer made its way onto the scene. It was borderline TERRIFYING. It loomed over the students. Its height surpassed the nearby skyscrapers. The massive figure brought a fist down and smashed everything in its path. People were starting to panic at this point. Many had fled from the initial attack and were a safe distance away. A mob had made their way down the street where Izuku was frozen in fear. No one was able to tear their eyes from the mech as they ran straight past him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya fell back on the concrete regaining the feeling in his legs to make a run for it. He had to at least get one point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One point! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he began to clammer away, Present Mic announced that only 2 minutes had remained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was gonna fail. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was gonna disappoint All Might. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was gonna make a fool out of himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two minutes remaining, and he didn’t even gain a single point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar voice cried out in pain. Uraraka writhed in pain as she was crushed under the rubble from the Zero Pointer’s attack. It hurt like a bitch. Sweat dripped down her face as she struggled to worm her way out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku didn’t even have time to think. He felt a crackle of energy flood into him and jumped impossibly high up and landed a punch directly on the ‘face’ of the robot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blow left a massive dent, spiderweb cracks spread across its body as it fell down with a loud thud. Explosions emitted from within the robot and wires snapped instantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were just a few problems.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“JUST ONE MINUTE LEFT!” Present Mic announced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku then started falling at a rapid speed towards the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> His legs and right arm were </span>
  <em>
    <span>FUCKED. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They flapped in the wind like a flag on a windy day. He screamed on his way down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven wasn’t one to usually curse all that much especially in front of other people, but fuck was the only thing to come out of his mouth when he saw that Midoriya managed to shatter THREE of his limbs and was now falling at high speeds towards the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven had to help him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> He was gonna get killed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Steven was way too far away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘OK let’s do this. I can do this. Right? Just like all my other powers. Just control it.’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He activated his pink overdrive on </span>
  <em>
    <span>purpose </span>
  </em>
  <span>and began to dart down the street. He felt his grip on his control waver. He grew a few feet and struggled to keep himself at his normal height.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone looked frozen in time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He jumped and caught Midoriya gently floating all the way down and placing him on the hot asphalt. At that time Ochako had managed to escape her rubble prison, clutching her knee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had all been a blur. One minute he was in the sky and the next he was lying on the concrete. He blinked and looked at Uraraka, and albeit confused, relief swarmed his consciousness. ‘She’s safe and I still have my right arm. I can still get one point.’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Someone seemed to be talking but it flew over his head, not absorbing a single word. He felt something- </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone </span>
  </em>
  <span>slap him on the back. His body glowed in a faint pink. His legs and arm were corrected in an instant. He looked up, now with no more lingering pain, and quickly realized that people were still talking and quickly tuned in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is he doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he's healing him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I thought that guy had a strengthening quirk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was amazing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was he trying to trick us?” The crowd murmured among themselves and thankfully no one swarmed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you ok?” Steven and Ochako blurted out. Midoriya looked over and caught their concerned eyes. Uraraka looked exhausted, but not hurt thankfully. Steven helped him up and Midoriya almost fell back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Thanks to you guys I can at least get one point before-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“TIME’S UP!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alarms rang throughout the city as an added measure for those who could somehow escape Hizashi’s voice. He could feel his heart breaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The exam was over and he couldn’t manage to get- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>stupid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything was over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His training with All Might- wasted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Might’s time- wasted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Exhaustion tugged at his body with a fierce fervor. Everything seemed to blur together. A little old lady made her way through the crowd. Her face scrunched up in confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was alerted that someone had been hurt?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven waved to get her attention. “I’m sorry! I already took care of that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A kind smile formed across Recovery Girl’s face. “Hello dear. It is wonderful to see you in person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya at that point could only see black. Steven was in the middle of talking when Izuku face planted on the road once more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my stars!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven ran down the street, making small glances at his new phone which had Boogle Maps opened. After many turnarounds and confusing directions, he had come to the conclusion that Japan was not easy to navigate at ALL for the fiftieth time. He passed by numerous shops and restaurants examining each sign until he finally reached a small cat cafe sandwiched between two restaurants. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened the door and passed by a few people, carrying his shoes in his hands. He sat down on a bench behind the counter. A small grey tabby found its way on Steven’s lap. A teenager with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail looked at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bad day?” Even though her face showed a sign of concern her voice only conveyed that of boredom and tiredness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Navigating where anything is in this city is impossible!” Steven let his head fall back on the wall as his hands covered his face. “I got on the wrong train 5 times this morning.” Cassie just simply nodded her head in a manner that portrayed ‘I know how that feels’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll get used to it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven threw his hands up and lied down on the bench. “And when will that happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cassie stifled a giggle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I saw Chiyo-san head upstairs already so the door should already be open.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank the stars for that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gently put the cat that was purring on his pink jacket down, as he rose from his seat and made his way to the back of the cafe. He climbed a flight of stairs and opened the door to a small apartment that was barely big enough for three people. He put his shoes down near the door and made his way through the kitchen and ended up in the living room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanjiro was there sprawled over a small armchair looking absolutely exhausted. Steven sat down on a couch next to Tanjiro. Tan peered at the curly-haired kid giving him a wide smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How was your day Steven?” He corrected himself in his chair as he moved to have his arms draped on his knees. Steven just gave a groan in response as he melted into the couch. Exhaustion tugged at his whole body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That bad huh?” The ginger gave a warm chuckle. They sat there for a while in the comfortable silence as they both gave in to borderline exhaustion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven awoke to the sound of keys turning in the door as Nami made her way through the house holding a few shopping bags. Steven scrambled off the couch and gently wrapped his arms around the smaller woman trying his best not to crush her with his strength even though she probably could take it. She pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. Steven yelped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey kiddo, how was your day?” She said through his hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let her go and turned to sit at the counter. “I got lost. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eleven</span>
  </em>
  <span> times.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that’s better than the last time.” She opened the fridge and grabbed a sports drink, emptying it in one go, putting the groceries on the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heh, well that certainly is true. I didn’t manage to get where I needed to go in time though, which was annoying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were late for your appointment? How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> you.” She said with mock disbelief that dissipated with a light chuckle as she wiggled her way in Tan’s lap. He clamped his arms around her waist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> He was still waiting for a response from UA. He was pretty sure that he passed but something in the back of his mind tugged at unsavory thoughts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if he did fail? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if they don’t accept him because he had never attended a school before?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or because he has PTSD?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know how to feel about it. He’s never formally attended school let alone a school with people who had powers like him… -Except on that one instance Connie brought him along and he got expelled a few days after… The memory seemed distant like it wasn’t all there or that he had forgotten something important. Didn't a <strike>corrupted gem</strike> </span>
  <span>villain attack the school? He wasn’t sure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh by the way there was a letter for you. I put it in one of the bags.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rummaged through each bag putting up groceries as he searched until he finally spotted a white envelope that fell to the bottom of the bag next to some eggs. He put up the rest of what was in the bags and sat down at the counter to open it. He gingerly unsealed it, picking up a little circular object that not even a few seconds later flashed him directly in the eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He dropped it in shock. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The projection flickered on, partly glitching due to the slight damage it was dealt from the mishandling. Tan and Nami flanked Steven on both sides staring at the projection of All Might in their kitchen. Steven instantly recognized the face from his night at the hospital before his six months of hell. The memory came flooding back to him. He stared at the ceiling, he wore a blank look. ‘That’s why that kid looked so familiar!’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He remembered the note with the other’s phone number on it. He also remembered he couldn’t find it the day he was discharged. Not like he could really use it. His old phone wasn’t working anymore. He couldn’t call anyone, the only thing it allowed him to do was look at his photos and notes. He got a new phone soon after in order to get in touch with his parents adoptees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he resided in his foster home he noticed All Might’s face on the news almost every single day. Shops were selling mini-figures of him and posters hanging on the walls of his foster siblings' rooms. Nobody could forget, or escape for that matter, a face like All Mights. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I AM HERE!” All Might flashed with his signature catchphrase and smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked like his adoptees were gonna faint. Tan looked absolutely star struck. Steven quickly tuned back in to what the pro hero was talking about when he found himself drifting. ‘Don’t want a repeat of the Frybo incident.’ He cringed at the thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am proud to declare that you have passed both the written and mock battle with flying colors!” Nami gripped onto his jacket tightly. A bright smile crossed her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not only did we grade the mock battle on combat alone, but we also graded it on rescue points.” He pointed to a screen showing his results and explaining the process they went through to award said points.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You had selflessly gone to save another student even though there was little time left. Not only did you save him from a fatal fall- you healed him from his injuries.” He bowed slightly with a fist over his heart. “I am proud to say that you have earned 55 rescue points.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have made it. You are now apart of the hero academia.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And with that, the projector flickered off. There was a beat of silence before a high pitched screech pierced the air. Tan ran around the living room like a chicken with its head cut off, screaming the whole way. Nami was shaking Steven back and forth. Incoherent babbling came from both of them after a while. Congratulations poured from their mouths while Steven just stood there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He should be happy right? He should feel something right? He’s getting closer to goals. He’s getting closer to his family. He should be crying with happiness at this outcome, but he only felt hollow and a bit of dread at the thought of going through with this. He needed to go. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to. It should be easy. He was already a hero. Maybe not to the legal system, but he had more experience than most of anybody else his age. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nami and Tan noticed his blank stare and glanced at each other in concern. Nami guided his hand to the couch and pressed against his left while Tan pressed against his right. He felt tears swell up in his eyes and for once in his life, he would not allow them to spill over. Tan leaned over to grab a cover and handed Steven the remote. They sat in silence like that for a while until he eventually pressed a few buttons. If there was one thing he liked about his adoptive family, it was that they always knew how to best comfort him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They watched a movie to wind down for the night and Steven headed to his room. It was small with a few posters and a desk pushed against the wall. His bed resided near a massive window covered by long curtains that grazed the floor. He fell onto his bed with a thud and fell asleep within seconds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A pink glow enveloped the room and Steven sprang up from his position on the bed. His throat felt like it was closing. He hastily gasped for breath. His skin was clammy as he gripped the bed sheets tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>RIP! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked down to see his sheet ripped in half. He clamored out of bed, tripping on the covers and landing squarely on the floor. His brain was racing too fast to allow him to think. He couldn’t even form sentences at that moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rigidly stood up and stumbled out of his room, holding the wall of the hallway for support. He yanked the bathroom door open. His pink figure echoed in the mirror clamping his hands on the bathroom sink. He straightened his back and took in the deepest breath he could. It sounded like a yawn and brought tears to his eye at the force of it. It didn’t work. He tried a few more times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minutes felt like hours as he slowly began to calm down enough for him to feel the clamminess of his hands and the sweat on his brow. There was no way he was going to bed after this but lied down anyway. He propped more pillows under his head in order to breathe better. The sound of the pitter-patter of rain on the window was loud. He focused on the sound for half an hour until he went back to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snap out of it”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Izuku.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya snapped out of his thoughts, noticing he had stared at his food for </span>
  <em>
    <span>way </span>
  </em>
  <span>too long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you smiling at that fish? Should I be worried about you?” Inko Stared at her son, her eyes full of worry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I’m sorry! I just spaced out a little.” He shoved his food in his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later he put his dishes in the sink and sat down on the couch resuming his blank stare into the abyss as he messed with an arm grip. ‘I barely passed the written exam, but I guess it wouldn’t have mattered since I got a zero in the mock battle. Not to mention that I haven’t been able to get in touch with All Might.’ He sighed in despair at that last notion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko attempted to provide words of comfort to her son but not a single one managed to make a difference. Inko left the house and Midoriya just picked up his dumbbell and started to work with that instead of the arm grips which he dropped at his side. ‘All might saw potential in me...but I failed. I managed to let us both down in a big way, but I’ll keep trying.’ The door slammed open. Inko scrambled on the floor freaking out for a few minutes, tripping over her words in her own excitement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku you have a letter! A letter from UA! Your test results are here!” She showed him a small envelope with a UA written in red wax that sealed it the letter shut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko paced back and forth in front of Izuku’s bedroom door. After staring at the letter for a few minutes he finally grabbed it. He took the two corners and tore it open, a small disc that worked as a projector fell on his desk. All Might popped up in the projection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait a second isn’t this from UA?!” Izuku glanced back to the seal and back at All Might. All Might had gone on to reveal that he was to be a teacher at UA. ‘He’s seriously going to be working at UA?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> All Might turned to talk to someone off-screen. “I have to do how many of these things?!” he let out an exasperated groan and continued in an attempt to wrap it up quickly. “...Even though you passed the written exam, you got zero combat points in the practical exam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that. Of course he knew that. He couldn’t stop thinking about that ever since he got home. He tightened his hold on his sweatpants, his eyes filling with tears that had not yet been shed. He was a failure, and All Might knew it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fortunately there were other factors.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Izuku looked up at the projection in confusion. What other factors? Nobody ever mentioned anything about there being other factors. Was this common knowledge? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-But I’ll get to that later for I have another surprise!” All Might pointed a remote towards the screen next to him and turned it on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Footage of Steven and Uraraka popped up on-screen entering what looks to be an office of some sort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me but we were wondering if we could talk to you for a moment.” Steven gestured to Uraraka while he spoke, directing his question towards Present Mic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘It’s that nice girl and that familiar person.’ Izuku thought to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do they say? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out!” All Might bellowed making a point of gesturing back at the screen once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ochako stepped forward. “You know that kid with the messy green hair and the freckles? It’s hard to describe his face-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven chimed in. “I think his name is Midoriya?” Wait a second, he never said his name. How did he know his name?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we were wondering if we could give him some of our points. We heard him say something about wanting to get just one point in.” Steven continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is just insane, because how can someone who took out that massive robot not get a single point?” Uraraka chimed in. It didn’t make sense to her. He took down that mech in just one shot but didn’t manage to do that with any of the other robots. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He would’ve gotten a better score if he didn’t stop to help me. He saved me! -Can’t I at least make it up to him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Steven shouted in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Might paused the clip. “You have a quirk now, but it’s your actions that inspire others. That is why I am here because the exam was not graded on combat alone!” Izuku gasped. What could this mean? What else was the test graded on?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He resumed the clip. Mic patted Uraraka and Steven’s head in unison. “There’s no reason for you both to give him your points. The kid is doing just fine on his own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Might stepped in front of the screen. “How could a hero course reject someone who’s committed to saving others no matter the consequences? After all, that is what makes a hero.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...So we have rescue points! A panel of judges watches and award points for heroic acts that go beyond just fighting villains.” Izuku gaped at the projection, his thoughts swirling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku Midoriya- 60 rescue points!” He looked at his score and sure enough, it was true. All attempts at coherent thought were flushed down the drain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Ochako Uraraka- 40 rescue points!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Last but not least, Steven Universe- 55 rescue points!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You all passed the exam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Welcome, Izuku.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have made it. You are now a part of the hero academia.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku could do nothing but cry. Tears that came from nowhere ran down his cheeks. Except that they did come from somewhere. They came from all the warmth and hope inside his heart, knowing he had made it and that he had inspired others along the way. He was going to attend his dream high school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After what seemed like an eternity, Izuku finally opened the door to face his mom. She looked like a deer that stopped in headlights. She examined his face for any sign of whether or not he got a good answer. No words were spoken but he flashed her a warm genuine smile. She wrapped her arms around him in excitement. “Oh my baby!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teacher talked among themselves concerning the results of the exam. Bakugo, who had placed first, had no rescue points whatsoever. While Izuku was the exact opposite and managed to take out the massive zero pointer. It was if his body couldn’t manage his quirk, and in a way they were correct. Aizawa leaned against the wall humming in curiosity. A few teachers speculated over Steven’s many quirks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku ran down the boardwalk towards All Might. He had received a text from him to meet at the beach for the first time since the exam. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi All Might!” he yelled from across the way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toshinori spat out some blood at the sheer volume Midoriya had belted out. “Too loud kid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some bystanders overheard the exclamation and turned their heads to search for the #1 hero. “No way! Where?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yagi’s hair stood on end. “Way to blow my cover. Say it was a mistake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku made quick work of blowing the attention off of them yelling “It was a joke! Nothing to see here!” They breathed a collective sigh of relief when the people bought it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Congrats on getting in.” He held up a hand for a high five that Izuku gratefully accepted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t have done it without your help!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t told anyone that I had been training you. I wasn’t one of the judges and I didn’t pull any strings. You got that spot entirely on your own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for telling me I’m glad to hear that.” He sighed. All the tension escaping his body. He got in all because of his actions alone and that brought warmth to his heart. “Oh yeah. I was really surprised to hear that you were going to be a teacher this year. I was wondering what brought you here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After all, your agency is in Minato, Tokyo, and everyone knows-” “-Getting creepy.” All Might stated “The school didn’t want anyone to know until they made an official announcement. It was fortuitous timing. An easy way to find someone to inherit One For All. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘So that’s it. He was planning to give it to a UA student. Someone who already had a quirk. “Your power extremely injured me. And all I did was jump and throw one punch. I need to learn how to control it. What do I do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll learn to manage it in time.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I like the way this one turned out. It's also way longer than any previous chapter so yeah. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. An Assessment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A major assessment on the first day? Whoever gets in last place is expelled?! Uh oh. Things aren't exactly looking up for someone in particular- and it's not who you would think.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sun shone through the slightly translucent curtains on Steven’s face. He laid there for a moment, soaking in the rays of the sun, before he reached over to his bedside table, gingerly picking up his phone to peer at the time. His alarm was supposed to wake him up in seven minutes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A short girl with floor-length red hair that faded to white swung her head through the open door whilst knocking on it fiercely.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, shitbird. Breakfast is ready, get dressed.” He frowned at the name-calling, but it wasn’t anything new. Who knew that having siblings entailed that you both hate and love them to death? Not him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He threw a pillow in retaliation which had enough force behind it to close the door. Kaida bolted down the hallway like she always did. She was such a spitfire for someone younger than him. He reluctantly put on his school uniform, fiddling with his tie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tan was standing in the kitchen making breakfast while humming along to some song on the tv. Kaida was sitting at the table with Nami, pulling the most innocent face she could muster. He sat at the far end of the table to avoid being kicked by the 12-year-old. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tan served him some miso soup and left to retrieve his work laptop. Nami looked at him thoughtfully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tan packed your backpack full of the things you might need.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh... He didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do that.” He isn’t a child. He can pack his own bag. He packed it every day for teaching, and he can continue to do it for learning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shrugged “He wanted to.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He really should have expected that response. Kaida didn’t like help with anything and was stubborn to a fault. Tan and Nami never had children of their own to worry or obsess over before  Kaida and him. They never could manage to have children after Kaida- complications and all that. After the third miscarriage, they stopped trying. It was just too painful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tan came over to pat Kaida and Steven on the head. “I’m heading off. Have a great day at school you two!” And with that, he put on his shoes and left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven was heading out as well and slung his bag over his shoulder. He stumbled to the side and caught himself on the front door. The unexpected weight of the bag was startling. ‘What in the world did he put in here?’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The campus was overwhelmingly massive. Steven made his way through the building going in and out of hallways. After the fifth wrong turn, he started to get a little frustrated. He was getting sick of this already. He can barely manage to find his way home from the train station. How was he going to be able to locate where everything is in this massive school? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His schedule was also confusing. It had the times of his different classes but the room number always stayed the same. Maybe it was just like that because of orientation or something... He ran a school before, he really should know this already. The class number rang through his head on a loop to make sure he didn’t forget it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To his surprise, he actually managed to find the room he was looking for. A few people were standing just in front of the open door. ‘Oh, finally that took forever.’ As he got closer he instantly recognized the pair that stood in the middle of the door. He ran up to them waving his hand in a greeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Uraraka! You’re in this class too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ochako let out a surprised gasp. “You too? Oh, this is going to be awesome!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya looked thoroughly flustered, hiding his face under his hands. It took him a few minutes to recognize him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Midoriya. How are you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya flinched a bit at the question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re here to make friends then you should leave.” Aizawa cut in, donning his signature monotone voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And boy if that didn’t make Steven jump out of his skin. He nearly leapt into Uraraka’s arms. His classmates also shared a look of ‘What the hell was that?’ He turned to look just behind him to see a fully grown man bundled up in a bright yellow sleeping bag on the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked like a banana. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or a slug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or both…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Banana Slug!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to UA’s hero course.” He said dryly. He looked incredibly tired but his voice only portrayed that of extreme boredness. He looks like he’s been up for days. The bags under his eyes looked permanently stuck to his face. Steven backed up into the classroom to get out of the spotlight a little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t work at all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aizawa stared him down when he moved to linger behind Midoriya. He stopped in his tracks. The intimidating stare lacked malice though and he breathed a sigh of relief at that… but he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>still staring. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was creepy beyond all reason. It looked like he was trying to get a read on him. Like if he stared long enough he’d find all the weaknesses he had worked for so long to keep hidden. He wished he would just </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop looking at me, please.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was silently begging at this point to a person who could barely hear what he was saying because he was not moving his mouth. His hands were moving though. He and Connie learned sign language so they could discretely communicate with each other in a crowded place. He was silently signing over and over. Just simple finger spelling he used with the hands that hung at his side. But Connie isn’t here. He is signing to a person that was not there. To someone he might not be able to see again. He stopped in his tracks, silencing a beg that no one could hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aizawa abruptly shifted his gaze upon the rest of the class. It was subtle, but still noticeable if you were looking for it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bit of panic crept into his mind that he tried to tamp down. It’s not as if the teacher even </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> sign language…Did he? He hoped not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No possible way.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if he knew sign language, he was signing in ASL. He’s fine. I’m fine. The last thing he wants to happen is to let the teacher think he couldn’t handle himself. His eyes found their way back to the ragged man. He looked a bit shaken but uninterested at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Aizawa Shouta, your teacher.” He kinda figured as much, but he had never seen a teacher as worn out as this person was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His teachers were always very engaging and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t need sleep.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could remember many times when he would be worn out from teaching. He never showed up to class like that though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, let’s get this over with.” He pulled out a gym uniform from his sleeping bag and held it up for everyone to see. “Put these on and head outside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven cringed internally. This day just wouldn’t give him a break. He couldn’t find a single place to change in the locker room in private. He hoped and prayed that nobody would notice. He shook his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t notice. Don’t notice. Don’t notice. Please. Don’t say anything. Don’t notice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one said anything but it was kinda hard to miss. Massive scars covering the majority of someone's back is pretty noticeable. They were ‘V’ shaped, starting from just below his shoulders to his waist. He attempted to quickly put his gym uniform as fast as he could, shaking off the obvious glances he got from his classmates. He was too tired to deal with this. He was tired of the unwanted attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, everyone filtered out of the locker room, he stuck to the back of the crowd. He just wants to get through this without any extra attention or distractions. He has bigger problems to handle than awkward social encounters. He had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>legally </span>
  </em>
  <span>become a hero if he is ever going to have a chance to see his family again. According to the internet, and Nami, what better place to do that then at UA? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they stepped onto the field, a sense of uneasy rippled throughout the group. When being threatened with expulsion, it grew until it was suffocating. They glanced at each other. According to the teacher, it was a guarantee that at least one of them was going home at the end of that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The question was; Who would it be? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>and </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Would it be me?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya was practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>dripping </span>
  </em>
  <span>with anxiety. If he drops in last place, he is finished. He has a lot of strength and power but what can he do if he can only use it once and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>cripples him?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was understandably scared. Broken bones weren’t something to sneeze at. He can’t exactly use One For All on all of the tests anyways. Everyone is using their quirks to boost their scores and get amazing results. It was clear who would be at the top. Steven was absolutely demolishing every test. He himself was doing mediocre at best. He didn’t even make the long jump all the way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He might have a chance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A chance to at least do amazing on at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>one test</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One test. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It may not be enough but it was all he could do for now. He was called up to do the ball throw, and he steeled himself. He poured One For All in his arm to throw the ball only to see it bounce pathetically a few feet away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What the heck? </span>
  <em>
    <span>That should have worked. It should have worked. Why didn’t it work? Is something wrong? Is something wrong with me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He looked back at his teacher. Intimidating was not the proper word to convey the look on his teacher’s face. It was too weak to describe what he felt from the icy glare in his now red eyes. His hair defied gravity along with his capture weapon and his once black eyes were now replaced with a bright red that tore into the sparks of confidence he managed to scrape together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I erased your quirk. Do you honestly think it’s fair to leave your mangled body to your allies? Let them deal with the consequences of your own quirk?” Midoriya’s attempt to retort and deny what Eraser was saying died in his throat as he was suddenly pulled closer to him by the once floating scarf the hung around Eraserhead’s neck. “It is not rational to rely on others to heal you because of your carelessness. Someone with a quirk like yours should not be a hero if you constantly have to be the victim.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those words cut deep into him, because above everything he knew it was true. He thought almost the exact same thing not moments prior. But he is not going to give up. He is not going to give in to what he says and make it true. Aizawa let him go and grumbled a few words along the lines of. “Take your shot.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Think. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he had to do was think. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minimize the damage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Prove him wrong. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Prove that he deserved to be here. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a brief moment to cool his nerves. He called upon One For All once more only instead he used it on his index finger. It hurt, but less. The ball soared quite a ways away. He clenched his hand in a fist and brandished a wide smile. He’s still standing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The fuck?” Bakugou whispered incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven shuffles a bit to the front but is pushed away by a fuming Bakugou. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell, Deku?” He’s running now at this point, making a beeline for Izuku. “How the fuck did you manage that!? YOU BETTER-” Shouta’s capture weapon cuts him off and stops him in his tracks before he can say another word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stand down.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku tenses and then goes limp. The teacher stopped him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He actually stopped him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He can’t even remember the last time that has ever happened. Had it ever happened? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teacher ushers the next student to go ahead while Izuku gingerly steps out of Bakugo’s sight. He is trembling with rage at this point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven walks a few steps ahead once more. “Aizawa-Sensei?” He puts a hand up to silence him. “I know what you're going to say. He should deal with the consequences of his actions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is a quirk assessment test though. S-So it would be rational if we could assess </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> the abilities of our quirks. Right?” There was an uncomfortably long silence that dragged on until Aizawa let out an exaggerated sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Hurry up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven shuffled over to Midoriya, holding out his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it ok if I use my quirk on you?” He spoke as if he was unsure if Midoriya would accept it. He thought about it for a moment before silently agreeing. If he went on with the test after breaking his fingers, he might do worse. He gently held it in a careful position when he offered it to him. The next student made their way in the circle. “Sorry. This may be gross.” He then licked his finger and pressed it to his broken hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Admittedly, It was a little gross but he could only stare in awe as his bones righted themselves with a faint pink glow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That was awesome. Can he heal anything? What was the downside? I don’t feel anything else happening. Every healing quirk ever recorded had at least one side effect. He also has speed, strength, and seemingly floating paired along with it but what is the connection? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has to do with my gem.” Shock spread across his face then he cringed ever so slightly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How much of that did I say?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no hiding the amount of embarrassment he felt at that moment. “Sorry. I’ll just be quiet.” He didn’t need another person to be annoyed at him. That list was already a fucking novel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. “It’s ok. To answer your question; I can heal anything and everything. My quirk is sort of the opposite of the school nurse; Recovery Girl. I get tired, you don’t. -To put it simply.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh sorry I didn’t mean to expend your energy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. I don’t get extremely tired like I used to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Enough with the chit-chat. You should focus on the trials ahead.” Aizawa barked. He already had enough of these two. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went through the rest of the trials (Thankfully, without a broken finger). Aizawa brought up the results on a bright digital projection. Midoriya’s face fell as he read through the whole list and found his name at the bottom. He shouldn’t be surprised. He only used his quirk on the ball throw. Even though he had his suspicions, it still hurt. No matter how hard he worked, he was still at the bottom. Will he ever be able to climb up?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I was lying. No one is going home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a beat of stunned silence until the whole class roared in an outcry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“WHAT?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya looked like he severed all the nerves in his body. He was relieved but still rattled. He never thought the teacher would lie to them. Relief swarmed the entire class and everyone finally relaxed and took a breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s all. Head back to the classroom to get a syllabus.” He then turned and left, not uttering another word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku started to make his way home, trudging along the main exit of the school. He felt a sturdy hand grab his shoulder. It took everything in him not to jump. He looked over and it (thankfully) wasn’t Kacchan. Iida looked at him thoughtfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“H-Hey there Iida!” </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s the finger?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it's fine. Chiyo managed to heal it completely.” He held up his now unbroken hand as proof of what he was talking about. As if on cue, Steven walked passed the pair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hey! It’s Chiyo, Right?” Iida beckoned, chopping his hand through the air. Steven cringed as he stopped in his tracks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, just call me Steven. I come from the states so surnames aren’t that important to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Are you a transfer student?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Adopted- I-I’m adopted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uraraka bounded down the walkway. “Hey! You guys are headed for the station, right? Wait for me. I’ll walk with you.” Iida and the others waited for her to catch up with the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. You’re the girl you got the infinity score.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Uraraka Ochako.” She stated proudly. “Let’s see. You are Iida Tenya, Chiyo Steven, and… Midoriya Deku, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“D-Deku?” He sputtered, all the blood had leached from the boy’s face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that not your name? That’s what Bakugou said during the assessment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s actually Midoriya Izuku. Deku is an insult he calls me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven cut in with a whole lot more passion than he ever had seen him use. “An insult? That’s horrible!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have to agree with Steven here. That is completely unsportsmanlike.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! I’m so sorry. I like it though. It kinda sounds like Dekimasu- You can do it!” She wore a bright smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never thought of it that way! That sounds nice.” Years of Deku meaning useless, and someone tells him it can mean You can do it, maybe UA will be different than all his previous schools. “In that case, Deku it is!” Everyone put on a gentle smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you guys help me with the train back?” Steven said quite sheepishly, putting a hand on the back of his neck. “I’m not the best with directions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. Of course, we’ll help you!” Izuku and Iida stated proudly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, honey. How was the first day of school?” Steven flopped onto the couch with a grunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it was nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s good!” She took off her apron and set it down inside a cupboard, moving towards the love seat adjacent to him. “Did you make any new friends?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I did.” He said cheerfully. A bright smile formed on his face, showing all his teeth. It could melt the ice caps, it was too pure for this world. It warmed her heart to see him genuinely smile for the first time since he came into their care. Don’t get her wrong, he smiled all the time! But, he never wore a </span>
  <em>
    <span>true, genuine </span>
  </em>
  <span>smile. He wore a smile like a shield.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida entered the house looking more battered than she left. She had scratches on her cheek, dirt covered her uniform, her shoes were gone, and it looked like her hair was cut shorter in some places. A lifeless look shone in her eyes, like she didn’t register anything that was happening at the moment. She made a beeline for her room until she was stopped by her mother and her brother. Nami brought a hand to check her daughter’s face but it was slapped away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you ok? Are you hurt? Oh, your uniform is all battered.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pushed passed the duo, slammed her door, and locked it. Nami didn’t stop there, she knocked on the door begging to help and call the school. Couldn’t she take a fucking hint? She wants to be alone. She doesn’t want to be alone. She doesn’t know what she wants. She wants to escape. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Your mom must be pretty disappointed to have a quirkless kid like you. You’ll never be like her. What a shame. A hero having a kid who could never follow in her footsteps.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She grabbed handfuls of her hair, almost ripping chunks of it out. ‘Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT! That’s not true… Is it? Is it true?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one managed to get her to come out of her room for the rest of the day, and in the morning she left before anyone could say anything. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've been wanting to show you guys Kaida for a long time now and I finally get to! Hope you guys like her.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Hand We Were Dealt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We all have to play the hand life dealt us. Whether it might be bad or not. Basically, my boy becomes a fashionista and someone isn't having the best of days. Little side plot hints and panic attacks once again.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For those who don't know- Panic attacks come randomly throughout the day. You don't know when or where it might happen. Scary huh? Basically, me projecting onto Steven a bit. Who would blame him for having to deal with this when we saw how his childhood played out? </p><p> </p><p>I have a Tumblr for this that you can look up to see/send some art and questions. It is called- the-heros-universe. It'd be easier for everyone to see the answers to questions on that blog so that no one has to dig in the comment section for them. Also if you make any art I'll be able to reblog it there! Don't be afraid to chat with me. I always love your feedback and answer anything that doesn't bring up any spoilers. If you read this far- Thank you! Have a cookie. Idk.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey Sho! How was work?” Hizashi asked with a bright smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta trudged through their apartment, weary from hero work. Hizashi offered an already prepared cup of coffee from his seat on the couch which he gratefully accepted. Hizashi proceeded to gently pull him into a side hug, laying his head on his shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which one?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let's go chronological. How many unlucky students were sent home today?” Hizashi said dramatically and then proceeded to take a swig of his drink. It happened every year. Last year he expelled every single one of his students. It was an expectation at this point despite how it kinda broke his heart. Some kids work so hard to get into the hero course, but at the end of the day it's Shouta’s class and he decides what will happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“None.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nearly spit out his coffee on his laptop. It took everything in him not to give in to his knee jerk reaction. He did not need another broken laptop, he managed to break his last one by blowing the speakers out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Really?!</b>
  <span> That’s wonderful Shouta! You must really like them!” Aizawa cupped his ears to protect them from the sudden volume change. Hizashi gave a small ‘sorry’ through his laughter that was met with a pillow to the face. His husband was practically wheezing at this point, because apparently destroying his eardrums was downright hilarious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. “None of them had zero potential.” Misty climbed in his lap and he ran his fingers through her dark fur. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any you’re worried about?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A few come to mind.” A hummed to himself thoughtfully. His mind went back to his encounter with one of the school’s ‘special cases’. He used to know ASL a long time ago but he was a little rusty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey ‘Zashi. You still know ASL don’t you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do.” He shrugged. His complacent face morphed into one of suspicion a few seconds later. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something one of my students did during class. I didn’t catch all of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you remember what signs they did?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slowly fingerspelled what he could remember. He was pretty sure that he got a few wrong. Mic looked confused for a few moments until realization sunk into his consciousness. A look of concern spread across his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did he say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh. From what I could gather- I’m pretty sure that translates to- Please stop looking at me.”  Shouta went back to petting the cat in his lap, processing that information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind telling me more about this student?” Yamada got off the couch to grab his teaching notebook, preparing to write down what Shouta was going to say next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida remembers when she got diagnosed as quirkless. Huh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>diagnosed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Like it was some sort of disease. It wasn’t hard to remember and neither was it easy to forget. When she came home from the doctor, she was shell-shocked. Dad just hugged her and didn’t say anything, keeping his face blank. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silence was nice, but… Didn’t he have </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>to say? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anything at all? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he disappointed? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could take that, </span>
  <em>
    <span>it might break her world even further</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but hey - at least it would get him to look her way. If only she could get him to </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just sat there holding her as she did all that she could to muster up the strength to not cry. Crying is for the weak. That’s what school taught her at least. If you cry the bullies come. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t cry, ever. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried so hard to focus on not letting the tears spillover.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mother came home a few minutes after... And she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>smiling</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Why? Why is she smiling? She felt a bit of frustration at the display. Her mom just rushed forward and scooped her up like she did when she was a baby. She twirled her around and said the three most confusing words she ever heard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it wasn't automatic like how you would sign off on the phone, or like a pat on the back. When she said those words it held a crushing weight of just pure love and adoration. It only further confused her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She never thought she would question that in her life… yet here she is.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why do you love me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You are my daughter, I will always love you and I will always be proud of you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dam broke. A flood poured from her eyes and she held onto her parents with the grip strength of that unlike any other person, well -any other person that was quirkless too, that is. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The memory was bittersweet. It used to make her happy and feel like she was loved, but when she went to school the next day, the memory soured. The bullying started soon after. She would come home with bruises and scratches from her desperate attempts to defend herself. It was mostly nothing that couldn’t be hidden with makeup. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t gonna stand there and take all the bullshit that society had to offer her. She took up self-defense classes, and quickly picked up a talent for it. She was gonna be a hero and nothing on Earth is gonna stop her. The other kids didn’t see it that way. They thought she was chasing a childish dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She made a point to wake up at 4 am to sneak out before anyone could stop her. Ironically, confrontation was something she actively tried to avoid, for the number of fights she’d been in. She wore her hair in a messy bun to hide the amount that was missing from yesterday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So when you wanna become a hero it's admirable and a real ambition, but when I want to it’s a hopeless dream?” She scoffed. “Yeah okay. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Cause that just totally makes sense</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Her words were practically dripping with sarcasm despite the fact it was barely above a mumble. She never meant for anyone to hear her remark, but her brain sent alarms when she saw that someone, in fact, had heard her. One of the biggest bullies she ever had the misfortune of meeting. Harumi whipped her head around like she had been shot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was suddenly pushed to the ground.  She couldn’t help but give a look of shock. No one was supposed to hear that. Instant regret flooded her brain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You talk big, but you are nothing but a bug under our shoe. Hmm, I think this little bug needs to be reminded of that.” She stepped aside to show off the supply closet behind her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. no no no no NO. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t even count on her fingers how many times she’s been thrown in there anymore and it was the first day.  On multiple occasions, she was left in there overnight. She knows pleading is useless against these goons, but right now her brain was scattered as apologies and promises flowed from her mouth as she was dragged closer and closer to the suffocating room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She kicked, clawed, screamed, and threw fists everywhere but it was useless against Harumi’s quirk. Vines wrapped around her wrist and ankles and she was thrown in by the overgrown plants. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No. Wait!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door slammed behind her. She pressed her ear to the door. Her face dropped when Harumi sent one of her goons to go get scissors. Apparently she wasn’t done with her temper tantrum. If that bitch cuts her hair off, she… </span>
  <em>
    <span>she doesn’t know what she would do</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’s gonna go down fighting to say the least. Thankfully after so many times of being in this closet, she took a screwdriver from one of the shelves and made a beeline for an air vent above her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like clockwork. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She began to start prying the grate off while balancing on a nearby ladder. The grate was loose from all the previous attempts and she just prays that this will be the one time she can count on it coming loose. Thankfully, it did come loose. The sound of metal hitting linoleum rang throughout the small space.She heard the door handle jiggle as she was halfway through the vent. She was in hysterics at that point and scrambled to get away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was dragged back by the sharp vines and chunks of her hair were cut off. Her face also got cut up because she wouldn’t stop struggling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And no one came.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Teachers and other students walked by and did nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt completely alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven felt unnaturally tired during English class, for obvious reasons. He already knew English, so it was frustratingly easy. He let all the other students answer questions. No need for him to learn from it. He had already filled out every single question in his packet and was just tapping his pencil lightly against the desk. He looked at the others, who all wore the same amount of boredness he himself felt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He suddenly felt all his senses heighten and even became aware of his own breathing. It felt as if his brain turned off autopilot and kicked it to manual. For a few moments his hearing blinked in and out. He sat there silently struggling to keep his breathing even until it eventually passed after a few minutes. He brought his gaze to look back at the rest of the class, messing around with the hem of his skirt. A few were looking at him in confusion. He noticed a few darting glances which prompted him to look back at his own paper. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was that about?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bell sounded for lunch and Iida, Uraraka, Deku, and Steven made their way to the cafeteria and sat down at the same table. The Lunch Rush Hero made an appearance at their table and Deku had the purest look anyone had ever seen plastered across his face as he mumbled about the hero.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uraraka took a bite of her rice and everyone settled down and talked amongst themselves. She turned towards the group and groaned audibly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you guys understand anything Present Mic said?” She slumped in her chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I did, but I’m not sure I count.” Steven said without taking his eyes off his food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, didn’t you say you were American?” Deku replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I finished really early so I kinda just sat there for a long time. If you guys ever need help in English you can come to me. I don’t mind.” He played with his food a bit. He didn’t feel like eating at that moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is very kind of you, Steven. We might take you up on that.” Iida said whilst chopping his hand through the air like he always did. Everyone else finished their food rather quickly and resorted to small talk to fill the time they had left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Um. Did something happen in class? I just- Um. Noticed a few people staring at me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Deku gave him a side look. “I didn’t see anything.” Then again, He does sit right in front of him so there is a bit of a blind spot. He turned towards Uraraka.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did see some sort of light -It was like bright pink. I think I saw it coming from where you were, Steven. So maybe it was that. I’m not sure though, I didn’t get a good view.” She turned to look at Iida for confirmation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iida brought a finger to his chin inquisitively. “I saw something similar too.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” He took a moment to digest that information while his stomach made a point to not digest his food. “Do any of you guys want this?” He pushed his barely eaten food away from him towards his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I AM HERE!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The entire class gawked at the sight of the number one hero coming into their classroom. Even though Izuku had the pleasure of training with said hero for the past 10 months, he still couldn’t help but get excited. Steven was happy to see a familiar face. He wore a gentle smile </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For today’s lesson, we’re doing battle training! And for an added measure-” He pressed a button on a remote he was holding that opened up a piece of the wall that held multiple briefcases with big green numbers written on the side of them. “-We have costumes that were created based on your quirk registration forms and personal preferences!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Multiple people let out an excited shriek at that, including Steven. He never really wore a hero costume when he saved the universe. Not if you counted his everyday clothes and </span>
  <em>
    <span>flip flops.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Now that he actually could prepare, he had a few ideas of what he wanted his costume to look like and was excited to see what the school created for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Put on those costumes and meet me at Training Ground Beta!” The hero then left, leaving everyone to scramble over to their costumes and get changed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A guy, with orange hair that had a black streak running through it, attempted to grab his case containing his costume. “Stop pushing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Who the hell stepped on my foot!?</b>
  <span>” A rather explosive blonde shouted sparks lit off his palms in a warning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone retrieve their case in an orderly fashion please!” That was accompanied by expressive hand gestures.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the quietest students in the class made his way up to grab his case, which someone else mistook for theirs. “That one is mine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Steven finally managed to get his clothes back from the hospital, they were completely ruined. His shirt was littered with holes and the knees on his jeans were completely ripped. Also not to mention the alarming amount of dried blood on them that he doesn’t remember losing. That’s fine, he can get new jeans, but he can’t replace the shirt. His jacket was dirty and had a mysterious rip on one of the sleeves. He just sewed it back together as best as he could. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class made their way down the entrance, all decked out in their hero gear. Some dressed casually, only wearing normal clothes with a jacket, while others went all out. Aoyama and some unknown person looked like knights. They had body armor and the other wore a faceguard, that made it impossible to determine who it was, and Aoyama wore a sparkly cape. Uraraka wore a black skin-tight bodysuit with a few white and pink accessories and with a clear face cover. She had devices placed on her head that pressed certain pressure points that allowed her to not feel nauseous when she uses her quirk on herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven came out, practically bursting with excitement about his costume. He wore a black skin-tight bodysuit with a massive yellow star in the middle, some boots that were more suited for his floating, and some bracers on his wrist to support his bubble fists. He wore his jacket, with the tear still apparent, and a belt that also had the star emblem and a few colored gems adorning the sides that represented each of the gems. A visor shielded his eyes that looked like an exact replica of Garnet’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku ran out just after Steven, wearing a bright green jumpsuit that connected up to a mask with two signature tufts that had a mesh mouth guard. He had a red utility belt and wore his regular sneakers along with white gloves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh wow! You guys look really cool!” Uraraka exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven turned to give the pair his full attention. “Yeah! Your guy’s costumes look amazing!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Thanks! You two kinda look a little similar. Not that that’s a bad thing! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just that you both have a theme of black, white, and pink and have visors and all that-” He spiraled down into his muttering until Steven eventually cut him off. It was too painful to watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right. Floating twins!” He held up his hand to Uraraka who gladly accepted the high five. “Floating Twins!” She repeated. That thankfully cut the tension that was slowly festering in Izuku’s mind down a little bit. His mind was more at ease when they drew lots and he got Uraraka as a partner. He also found out that the unidentifiable person with the face cover was actually Iida, who was paired up with Kacchan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...Then it was announced that his team was going up against Kacchan’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tension was back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It also didn’t help that when he glanced at his childhood friend, it looked like he was 100% ready to kill him right then and there. His attempts to still himself were flushed down the drain because he just </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t stop shaking</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He settled with clenching his teeth and sending (hopefully) an equally intimidating glare. It was all he could think to do to stop feeling like he wanted to curl into himself and have the earth swallow him whole. Maybe if it all goes sideways, Uraraka will take pity on him and float him into the sun before his childhood friend could get to him. Don’t get him wrong. -he was gonna go down fighting. That didn’t mean he wasn’t scared shitless though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Uraraka took their places in front of where All Might directed them and waited for their countdown to begin. The usually bubbly girl was saying something, and he should listen, but his emotions felt thoroughly fried. He was startled out of his thoughts when his friend let out a shriek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're sweating through your costume!" She pointed out. How did he even manage that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I'm just really nervous. We're going up against Kacchan.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, he’s the one that bullies you isn’t he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess.” He never really thought of it that way. He’s just so strong. His drive, confidence, and his quirk. At one point in time, Kacchan had everything that he lacked. Now he has more than he could ever have hoped to achieve. He has friends who care about him, a mentor who at this point is like his surrogate father, and he has the ability to fulfill his dreams of becoming a hero. He got really lucky. He knows that. He won’t let everybody down by losing this fight. He won’t let </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span> down by losing this fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inside the surveillance room, Yagi gave the all-clear for both teams to start. He was eager to see how Young Midoriya would fare against the other team. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He's just another student here. He has to be fair. Grade fair. No playing favorites. He brought in the rest of the class to watch the training exercise. You can always learn from a fight, even if you aren’t participating in it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>On-screen, the hero team entered quietly through an open window and was now heading down the corridors as cautiously as they could. That was until Bakugou arrived on scene via sneak attack. He propelled his weight through the air and managed to land an explosion </b>
  <b>
    <em>dangerously close</em>
  </b>
  <b> to Izuku’s head, burning his mask completely off on one side of his face.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Multiple students cried out in alarm at what was shown. A few remarked on how close a call that was, and how lucky he was to just barely dodge the attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sneak attack? What gives, Bakugou? A real man wouldn’t pull cheap crap like that!” Kirishima remarked with a passion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Yagi had a chance to speak, another student spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sneak attacks are pretty shitty, but they are useful tactics. To villains, and heroes alike. You wouldn’t want the enemy to know that you’re coming in most situations if you can help it. That would give them the advantage.” Momo hummed in agreement with Steven’s observation, having thought the same thing moments prior.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Might spoke up again remarking that Bakugou is playing the villain well, and is taking the exercise seriously and giving his all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The usually quiet student spoke up once more. “This is a training exercise though, and that hit was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way too close</span>
  </em>
  <span> to Midoriya’s head.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It kinda sucks that we can’t hear anything. Are there speakers? Who is he talking to anyway?” Kirishima inquired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s got a radio so he can talk to his partner. I gave one to each before the match started along with capture tape and a map of the building.” All Might supplied. “If someone wraps the capture tape around their opponent, they are out for the rest of the game.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So the heroes have fifteen minutes, and they don’t know where the weapon is?” Ashido questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Correct!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then the heroes are at a big disadvantage!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven spoke up, unknowingly cutting All Might off. “Well that’s what happens, realistically. Sometimes you have major disadvantages and have to work around them or beat them back. It’s not like a villain is just gonna hand you an easy way out. You have to find it, and win.” He turned his eyes towards the floor. “Sometimes you just have to play the hand you were dealt. Life really isn’t all that fair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Might was left a bit shaken by that. His student looked only about 14 but it was like he was speaking from experience. Not to mention he was about to say almost the exact same thing! He gathered his composure and attempted to finish where he left off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! It is a hero’s duty to beat back that unfairness. Disadvantages or no, we fight! Let’s hear a Plus Ultra!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class repeated the school motto and then promptly returned their eyes back to the screen when Aoyoma called attention to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Deku barely managed to dodge the last attack and lend out a counter, and was running down the maze-like halls to put some distance between him and his explosive ‘friend’. He sent Uraraka to go find Iida while Kacchan had all his focus on him. Not much of a good strategy, but there wasn’t much else he could do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was clearly out to get him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't seem to bat an eye at the fact that Uraraka left. To be honest, if she stayed, they would have run out of time. If he followed her, Kacchan would run after him, resulting in their incapacitation or the end of the timer, either way, they would lose and it was clear Iida was being ignored by his partner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was still reeling from when he practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>screamed</span>
  </em>
  <span> at Bakugou just a few seconds prior. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“From now on ‘Deku’ means ‘You can do it!”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The exercise went well, in Toshinori’s eyes. He got to see almost each and every student’s fighting style, most of the students took the exercise seriously, and his successor managed to stick up to a certain explosive teenager. So, all in all, a good day. -Besides the fact that young Midoriya managed to break his arm again and was now passed out in the nurse’s office. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as the class was dismissed he bolted out the door to change his form and practically collapsed when the door closed behind him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well shit. That was way too close for comfort</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He only has barely </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough </span>
  </em>
  <span>time to teach a class. The strain he put on his body sent him into a coughing fit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not even bothering to change into other clothes, he found his way to the nurse’s office and burst through the door. Recovery Girl turned in her chair for a few moments to give him a harsh glare. He sheepishly closed the door as gently as he could. He looked over to the occupied hospital bed to see Midoriya passed out with his arm wrapped in multiple layers of bandages and an IV poking out through his uninjured arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi! I don’t think we’ve met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yagi tumbled back and a bit of blood spewed from his mouth. He turned around so fast it was surprising he didn’t get backlash for it. A particular short curly-haired boy was standing behind him in his school uniform. Upon recognizing Steven, he stilled himself, wiping the blood off his chin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Yagi Toshinori. I teach 3rd years.” He held his breath, hoping Steven would believe his lie and wouldn’t question him about the fact he is </span>
  <em>
    <span>still wearing his hero costume</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Steven!” He threw his hand out and quickly became embarrassed. ‘Oh yeah, not many people do that here.’ Before Steven could retract his hand, Yagi accepted his handshake with a knowing smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Toshinori, this is my grandson.” She twisted in her chair to look at him. “Can you talk some sense into him? </span>
  <em>
    <span>I know you don’t have much.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> She mumbled the last bit so only he could hear. He deadpanned and looked to Steven for clarity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven rubbed the back of his neck. “She won’t allow me to heal him. Bakugou went </span>
  <em>
    <span>way too far </span>
  </em>
  <span>with a training exercise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>went too far, Steven.” She corrected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s too exhausted from that mess of an exercise that my quirk can’t heal him any further.” She pointed at her grandson. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It finally clicked in Toshi’s mind. “And he wants to take a shot at healing him.” he guessed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t understand the problem. Quirk use is allowed on U.A.'s campus, and if he wants to heal him then he didn’t see why not. He thought it was noble of him offering to help yet again. Maybe because of some sort of drawback from his quirk?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How does your quirk work exactly?” He inquired. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well… just the healing? Um. Well… I can heal anything and everything. Uh, including plants and sometimes objects. But -but it works the best on humans and I have to be confident, otherwise it won’t work.” <strike>-</strike></span>
  <strike>
    <span>A̸͇̜͗̉̕n̴̠̬̗̾͋d̸͚̿̈́ ̵̣̩́͛ģ̴͛͛ë̵̦̖̱́͠m̶̩͆̅͘͜s̷͈͍͊̒͝</span>
  </strike>
  <span> “I basically-” He visibly cringed. “-Uh, just lick my hand and place it on whatever I wanna fix and it just rights itself? I can’t heal scars though.” Steven searched Yagi’s face for any sort of disgust but found nothing but a dead stare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toshi hummed to himself. He did manage to heal him during the practical exam. “With that in mind, I don’t see why he couldn’t give it a try.” He was honestly astounded. He’d never heard of a healing quirk </span>
  <em>
    <span>that powerful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Steven’s quirk registration form had made the name misleading. When you think of a ‘Gem’ type quirk, you might think of something like growing crystals, or some type of hardening quirk like another one of his student’s, but that’s not how his quirk seemed to work at all. Yes, there is an actual gemstone in his body which may be how it earned its name, but it instead granted him a range of abilities that could rival that of any pro. It’s concerning that a kid wields that sheer amount of power, yet relieving that he uses them for good. <strike>He couldn’t help but think though, </strike></span>
  <strike>
    <span>He’s dead! Why do I keep worrying about this? He’s gone!</span>
  </strike>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked like Recovery Girl was gonna faceplant into her desk. She was at such a loss of words for the sheer amount of stupidity unraveling in front of her face, she just waved Steven off. Thankfully he didn’t make as much of a fuss when he looked at his grandmother’s face. He still needed to get back to his class, leaving Toshi with the exasperated woman. She gave a bright smile to her grandson as he left, closing the door behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as young Chiyo left, the facade melted from her face and he was hit in the side with her cane. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit!” He spat, rubbing his side. “That hurt!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need your bad influence on my grandson.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You asked me to interfere!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I asked you to talk some sense into him!” She pinched the bridge of her nose as if staving off an impending headache. “I know it hurts him to see his friends hurt, but he can use his quirk all willy nilly! He shouldn’t have to feel like it's his responsibility to take care of his friend’s mistakes. He doesn’t even have a doctorate or a provisional hero license, you dimwit!” She went to hit him again but he dodged and sat down on young Midoriya’s cot to stay out of reach from the irate woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ok, Sorry. Jeez.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“According to Steven, he had to be healed regularly by him. Why didn’t you stop him All Might?” She chided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven and I did some first aid, but we will have to wait for his body to heal overnight. I know this boy has One For All, but you can’t let him keep doing this. He needs to learn control.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. I’ve been trying to get him to find a way to control it better. I wanted him to see he was capable of finishing the exercise. Oh by the way, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mind not talking about the secret of One For All where anybody could hear</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Especially after that close call with Steven. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. I get it, Symbol of Peace. Does it really matter if you were born with this quirk or not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If people knew the truth, everyone would be scrambling to get a hold of this power. Midoriya wouldn’t be safe anymore. He might not even be able to trust whoever he passed it on to. Not to mention villains would attempt to get a hold of it as well. People need to believe that the Symbol of Peace is a natural-born hero. Not just for their sake but for his as well.” He looked upon his successor’s face. He looked so worn out and had little scratches all over his face. His costume had been torn to shreds in some places, especially around his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Recovery girl took a deep breath and sighed. “If that’s the case you need to learn to become a good teacher.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the radio silence! I had to endure a 21-hour drive back home and couldn't write because of the internet and all that crap. I now have a schedule. Ikr me? In my fanfic? More likely than you'd think. I'll try to let out a chapter every Friday if possible.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Cards We Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steven's mock battle! Yay!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steven was understandably upset. How the fuck was it ok for the teacher to continue the exercise? At this point in time, he really wishes he could talk to the principal. Actually, that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea...</p><p> </p><p>But that would have to wait. </p><p> </p><p>When Midoriya was being dragged away from the crumbling building, he was already halfway down the hall making his way to the nurse’s office, much to the protest of many of the other students. His movements were fluid and practiced as if he had been there multiple times before. Which made sense because he repeatedly visited his grandma throughout his day. The old woman always knew how to cheer him up, and would listen to his long-winded rants. He pulled the door open not bothering to knock anymore after she had told him he didn’t need to after he came around to visit the third time. Her back was to the door, eyes trained on the computer on her desk when he hastily closed the door behind him. Steven winced at the noise the door frame made in response to being thoroughly slammed with the strength of inhuman proportions. Huh, <em> inhuman. </em> Meanwhile, the old woman didn’t even flinch or turn her head.</p><p> </p><p>“Watch your strength, Steven.” She chided.</p><p> </p><p>Her gaze shifted to acknowledge his presence. Her mouth was drawn into a tight line. At first glance, one would make the assumption she was tired or something of the sort, but the concern in her eyes was palpable. He flinched when the door swung open once more. Curly dark green hair was stark against the white sheets of the stretcher carried by two drones. Steven averted his gaze to look at some medical supplies rather than his beaten up friend.</p><p> </p><p>“So that’s why you’re here.” She remarked.</p><p> </p><p>Recovery girl helped Midoriya on a nearby bed, examining the extent of his injuries before turning to the rather spaced-out gem hybrid.</p><p> </p><p>“Steven?” She walked up to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. The woman was relatively short compared to him, roughly half his size. He looked down just enough to spot the rather sad look on her face she always puts on around him lately. He once asked if he could help her in the infirmary. She was opposed to the idea at first, but she slowly came around and agreed to teach him how to apply first aid.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you fetch the bandages please?” </p><p> </p><p>He doesn’t know what possessed him at that moment but he gave a hesitant nod. He didn’t wanna look at the other boy right now. So he didn’t. He grabbed the bandages off the top shelf of the cabinet and handed it to his grandmother, his eyes trained on the floor. Once she was done hooking up an IV in Midoriya’s arm and placing a kiss on his forehead, she brought him her full attention.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong?” She sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“W-Wrong? Nothing’s wrong! Not a thing. I-I’m -I’m fine! Just dandy. What about you? What's… up?” He let out a laugh. It was mirthless and sounded like it physically hurt him as he brought his hands up to signal finger guns.</p><p> </p><p><em> “Mmhm.” </em> She quirked up an eyebrow at him. “Your friend comes in here all battered up and <em> nothing’s wrong </em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why ask then?” He snapped.</p><p> </p><p>She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by her phone ringing. She sighed and quickly picked up her phone and went outside. Around 5 minutes had passed when she quietly came back through the open door and closed the distance between her and Steven. She let out a long heavy sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“That fool of a teacher, All Might, needs you back in class for your mock battle.” </p><p> </p><p>A pit of dread sunk in his stomach. “<em> Oh. </em> ok.”</p><p> </p><p>When Steven finally came back to the viewing room Iida, Uraraka, and Bakugo were all back as well, covered in dirt and a couple of bruises. He made sure to quietly shut the door and took his place behind everyone else. Momo was in the middle of talking but he wasn’t paying attention because all of a sudden Iida and Uraraka flanked him on both sides upon noticing him within the crowd. </p><p> </p><p>“Where were you, Steven-kun? When we came back we didn’t see you anywhere and then All Might-san told us that you left near the end of our mock battle.” Uraraka said. Iida was trying to pay attention to the teacher but Steven didn’t miss how he glanced at him full of concern. </p><p> </p><p>“Young Chiyo! Now that you are back, your battle with Todoroki, Kaminari, and Asui is up next.” His teacher’s booming voice cut through all the ways he was thinking of how to deflect his friend’s question.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll tell you later.” He said without putting much thought into how much he didn’t want to commit to what he just offered. He rushed up to his partner.</p><p> </p><p>///</p><p> </p><p>Steven walked alongside Todoroki to another concrete building where they would be holding their battle. Since the other building is currently… damaged…. they had to use a different one, to say the least. He'd rather not think about his friend’s brush with death, thank you very much. <em> OK, that’s being dramatic, Steven. Bakugou wasn’t gonna kill Midoriya… I don’t think. You’re being silly. </em> </p><p> </p><p>Todoroki remained silent the entire way there. Was he supposed to spark up a conversation? That’s what you do around people your age right? What is he supposed to do? What if he doesn’t want to talk to him? Maybe he just likes the silence. Maybe that’s why he isn’t speaking. Or maybe he’s waiting for him to say something. The countdown to start interrupted his thoughts. Todoroki entered the building with Steven trailing a little behind. </p><p> </p><p>“For your safety, I suggest you step outside.” Todoroki deadpanned.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, what are you going to do?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to freeze the building and our opponent’s so we can procure the weapon.” He explained. Ok, that doesn’t sound like a completely terrible idea, but it was still pretty flawed.</p><p> </p><p>“We don’t know exactly where the weapon is. We would have to go looking everywhere to find it, giving them time to get out of your…. <em> Ice </em>? It is ice right?” He looked towards Todoroki to get confirmation. The dual haired boy’s stance faltered ever so slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“-I... yes, it is... ice.” </p><p> </p><p>“Anyways, isn’t this a team-building exercise? If you take them down all by yourself we might get a deduction of points, I think.” Steven pointed out. Team building exercises were Steven’s forte back with the Crystal Gems, after all. It’s just people his age he has trouble talking to. They continued walking down the echoing halls, checking the corners for any sign of the villains.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have a plan?” Todoroki inquired. </p><p> </p><p>“More like an outline,” He admitted. “We should continue to keep an eye out for the weapon, and when we run into our opponents, you lead the offense with your ice in any way you can while I run defense with my shield and bubble.” It requires a lot of fine-tuning, but it is a plan nonetheless. They just need to wrap them up in capture tape and touch the weapon. Should be simple enough.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have any-” A loud crash sounded throughout the echoey corridor, interrupting Steven and alerting the pair of the incoming villain. They ready their quirks to find a figure with dark green hair hopping towards them at quite an alarming speed. </p><p> </p><p>Steven let out a small yelp as a rather long tongue wrapped around his foot and pulled him away from his partner and toward the figure. He looked over to see Asui preparing her capture tape. Steven summoned his shield and threw it like a frisbee. His target was off by a lot and it bounced all the way down the hall before slamming into the wall and dissipating, but that didn’t stop Asui from flinching away from the projectile, allowing Steven enough leeway to wiggle out of her grasp. He hoisted himself up and turned around to face his opponent to already find her encased in a mini iceberg. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you have the capture tape?” Todoroki asked. He patted his jacket pockets down and handed it to his partner. </p><p> </p><p>Todoroki went up to a rather sleepy Asui and melted her out of his ice, carefully securing the tape around her. </p><p> </p><p>“Is she <em> asleep </em>?” Steven gaped.</p><p> </p><p>“I think so, She’s still breathing normally.” </p><p> </p><p>They continued to walk down each hallway. Steven racked his brain. <em> Come on, come on. What would Pearl do? </em> OK. Let’s think. <em> It took around 3 to 5 minutes for Asui to find them, meaning that the weapon has to be on this floor or the next. That rules out the 7 other floors. If I stick with Todoroki, we would have a far better chance of winning against Kaminari, who was undoubtedly left with the weapon. Kaminari’s quirk kinda looks like Yellow’s power…. I wonder if it’s the same or similar. If it’s similar to her light destabilization it should just pass through me, but if it’s not and it’s just normal electricity then I would be electrocuted. Best not test that theory if I can help it.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Another 5 minutes had passed and they still hadn't found the weapon. Steven was starting to get a little antsy.</p><p> </p><p>“We should split up and cover more ground. We can contact each other through the comm so if one of us finds it the other can come running.” Todoroki said a few moments later.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” Steven veered right and ran down the hall away from his partner. Sure, he could use his overdrive and run through the whole building in a matter of seconds…. but what if something went wrong? What if he got to the weapon and fought with Kaminari and the same thing that happened to Jasper happens to him? What if he damages the building like he’s not supposed to? What if all the people in the viewing room think he’s a monster? <strike>M̵̰͔̙̐ỏ̷͖͍͝n̸̢̮̬͆š̴̗̒̊͜ṫ̴͎e̴͓̔r̴͓̞̘̂</strike>. He flinched at the word that had once again wormed its way into his brain again and shook his head to clear it. Great, now he’s psyched himself out.</p><p> </p><p>He made a sharp right and spotted a glint of light bouncing off something metal in one of the doorways. Bingo. He brought a hand up to the radio and contacted Todoroki, telling him he had found it. Kaminari was standing in the middle of the room with a smug smile on his face. </p><p> </p><p>The blond looked upon Steven like he planned for him to come on his own, and suddenly Steven was very uncomfortable. The second he set foot into the room with Kaminari, he discharged a copious amount of electricity that was headed for Steven. He summoned his bubble but not before he got thoroughly shocked. <em> Note to self: You can be electrocuted. Good to know. </em> </p><p> </p><p>Kaminari groaned. “You can protect yourself?<em> How many quirks do you even have? </em>” He threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Whatever.” He discharged a few million volts once again. Steven was still in his bubble but he didn’t know how long it would last. A few seconds later it looked almost fully ready to pop and then Todoroki stepped onto the scene. He used his ice to freeze Kaminari’s shoes to the ground causing the blond to instinctively try to get his feet unstuck. Steven’s bubble dissipated and he leaped over the Kaminari icicle and placed a hand on the fake weapon.</p><p> </p><p>A loud voice boomed over the intercom declaring that the heroes had won. Steven fell to the ground and starfished on the concrete, absolutely exhausted. Man, it has been a while since he had to do anything like that. Todoroki melted his ice, freeing Kaminari who mimicked Steven by flopping on the concrete starfish as well.</p><p> </p><p>“You have heat too? That’s cool.” Steven remarked from his place on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Todoroki opened his mouth to say something but Kaminari beat him to it with bubbles of laughter escaping his throat. </p><p> </p><p>“Dude, I wish you could’ve seen your face!” He stopped to laugh more. “When I shocked you, you looked like that surprised Pikachu meme!” He pulled a face, mimicking the famous internet picture.</p><p> </p><p>“You would know what that feels like, Pikachu.” Steven quipped. Kaminari locked eyes with him looking thoroughly unimpressed, before bursting into another laughing fit. Surprisingly, Steven joined in too. When was the last time he had laughed? Todoroki looked very confused before screwing his face into a blank look. </p><p> </p><p>“Bro, I’m not even mad about losing. You’re a pretty cool dude.” Kaminari got up from his position on the floor and extended a hand to Steven, pulling him up. </p><p> </p><p>And right there, even for just a moment, Steven felt happier than he’s ever been in a long while. He felt like a real teenager.</p><p> </p><p>///</p><p> </p><p>Izuku opened his eyes to see hospital curtains. <em> What? This is not where I remember being. </em> He took notice of a big clock on one of the walls. <em> Did I miss all my afternoon classes? </em>He groaned at the thought of that. Great. Aizawa’s gonna string him up by the rafters in the gym with his scarf… </p><p> </p><p>“Rise and shine!” Recovery girl had wheeled over to his bed to help get him up and he was now walking down the hallways to get to his class. Maybe if he’s lucky he didn’t miss <em> all </em> of it. If he did, maybe he can ask Uraraka about sending him into space. He always wanted to see the moon up close. He stopped just outside the door feeling bone dead tired. He didn’t hear any of the teachers. Present Mic wasn’t loudly proclaiming that grammar rules, Ectoplasm wasn’t reciting math questions in his low voice, not even Aizawa’s snoring could be heard. He had, without a doubt, missed his classes. He was in big trouble, but he was too tired to care at that point. </p><p> </p><p>He pushed the door open and a group immediately surrounded him. Kirishima, Mina, Sero, Sato, Asui, and Aoyoma all took time to compliment him on the exercise and introduce themselves to him. He <em> never </em> got that kind of feedback from anyone other than his mother for his accomplishments. No one really believed him when he actually succeeded in something.  It warmed his heart and the exhaustion dripped away and left him with a small buzzing feeling under his skin. Like he could bench press a couch if he wanted to, and he probably could if it weren’t for his arm being cast in a sling.</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere in the back of the class, he could hear Iida scolding someone named Tokoyami. Something about a chair. Deku laughed internally at that. Iida could never really chill, can he? The smile on his face slowly dropped when Uraraka came into view. Concern was etched all over her face. </p><p> </p><p>“Uraraka, is something wrong?” He looked over the entire classroom in search of his other bubbly friend. “Where is Steven?” </p><p> </p><p>“H-He went up to Bakugo and said something I couldn’t hear and then rushed out of the classroom dodging all of my questions about where he was when everyone was in the viewing room for our mock battle. He made up some excuse about having to go help his sister with homework and left.” The words came barreling out of her mouth. “I don’t know what’s going on with him.” He cast his gaze over to Bakugo’s desk. He was just sitting there in silence, a rather contemplative look on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Where did you see him go?”</p><p> </p><p>“His usual path home, he didn't even ask for help or directions, he just left.” </p><p> </p><p>Processing that information, he bolted down the hall and down the stairs in order to catch up to the other boy. Soon enough, he saw Steven speed walking down the sidewalk. Brown curly hair bouncing with each step and grey skirt flowing in the wind. Without a doubt, that is Steven. </p><p> </p><p>“Chiyo- I mean, Steven!”</p><p> </p><p>He stopped dead in his tracks but did not turn his head. Izuku stopped just a few feet behind him before he spoke again.</p><p> </p><p>“Uraraka’s worried about you. She said something about you disappearing during our mock battle? What’s going on?” The wind brushed through their hair and it took a few minutes for the other boy to reply. At first, he was afraid that Steven didn’t hear him, or was ignoring him.</p><p> </p><p>“When I saw how bad you got beaten up by Bakugo,” Steven started. “I went to the nurse’s office to check up on you.” His shoulders tensed and Izuku couldn’t tell what was going on in his head. “It- I… I don’t know how to say this… When my grandmother told me that you had a broken arm, all I could think of was…” He faltered and turned to Midoriya, his eyes fixed on the concrete. He couldn’t see his face under all those curls but he was partially sure that his friend was crying. “She wouldn’t let me heal you, and it hurt seeing that my friend was in pain and I could do nothing to relieve it. I’m sorry.” </p><p> </p><p>Now it was Izuku’s time to falter. “Why are you apologizing?”</p><p> </p><p>“I should’ve known that something was wrong between you and Bakugo earlier. I should have healed you anyways, despite what anyone else said. I should have gotten All Might to stop the fight sooner.” He said like it was as plain as day.</p><p> </p><p>“Steven, I did this to myself. I should’ve been smarter and came up with a better plan that didn’t break my arm. This is my fault, not yours.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, it is!” Steven clenched his fists, his cheeks adorning a pink glow. “Because once again, one of my friends was in danger and I couldn’t help them.” He raised his head, fat tears rolled down his face. “I swore I would never let that happen ever again.”</p><p> </p><p>“A-again?” Izuku’s eyes widened at what that implied.</p><p> </p><p>“M-My friend Lars, He. He-” Steven’s entire body glowed pink now. <em>Woah that is so cool.</em> <em>Not the time Izuku!</em> He hiccuped through the tears. “He got <em>hurt. Really bad.</em> I was able to fully heal him, but he was never fully the same afterward.”</p><p> </p><p>“Steven-” Izuku choked out. He was always a sympathy crier and looking at Steven’s face made it <em> so hard. </em> His words were very concerning. Was he in a villain attack before U.A.? “I <em> promise </em> I won’t make you guys worry again.” His face turned into one of determination. That is a promise he fully intends on keeping.</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes the tension was broken by Steven laughing. It soon turned into hysterics and both of them were laughing at that point. People walking by with shopping bags stopped to look at them weirdly. Midoriya wasn’t sure <em> why </em>he was laughing in the first place. All he knew was that the air was just filled with so much tension you could cut it with a knife and then he was laughing at his own laugh which was a never-ending cycle. </p><p> </p><p>“I”m sorry I just realized I forgot the way home again,” Steven said when they finally calmed down enough to talk without bursting into laughter once more.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll walk you home.” A voice came from behind them. Iida with Uraraka in tow was looking fondly at the two. They walked down the sidewalk together towards the train station. Before the train to Hosu arrived, he turned towards his friends. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey guys” Iida was the first to snap to attention, quickly succeeded by Izuku and Uraraka. </p><p> </p><p>“I just wanna say that you're amazing."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Steven would wear a skirt with the school uniform. CHANGE MY MIND.</p><p>I also hc smart Steven. Because he is. It is fact. he is a smart boi.</p><p>My socially awkward child. I love him.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Famous Relations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>From rubbing people the wrong way, building more friendships, discovering your friend's family is famous and more questions arising from a mysterious field trip, Steven's mind is doing jumping jacks in his own head.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The calm before the storm fellas.</p><p> </p><p>TW: Bad Puns.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bakugo was fuming. Who does that pink jacket wearing fuck think he is? Anything between himself and shitty Deku is their fucking business! He had no right butting in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bitch had sauntered right up to him as soon as class had ended and said he was acting like a villain then threw around all these half-assed accusations. He was supposed to act like a villain. That was the point of the exercise. So what if that fuckin’ nerd got hurt? Occupational hazard! Not his fault the little shit didn’t have any self-preservation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And all that shit pink bitch spouted about having experience as a pro. What did he know about being a hero? Why would he be here if he was a hero already? That lying bitch. Then again, America is fucking crazy. Who knows what kind of shit really goes on over there?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Honestly, he didn’t think he would ever see pink bitch again after he was carted away in an ambulance after the whole sludge incident. It infuriated him beyond all reason when he managed to spot the fucker in his class the first day. Frankly, the memory of the villain attack was extremely fuzzy. It took him an annoying amount of time for it to click that Pinky Pie was one of the people who had been there that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida’s behavior has been scaring Steven these past couple of days. He doesn’t know what he should do. All the attempts he made have been just that... attempts. Each one was thrown out the window, leaving him going back to the drawing board. She hasn’t been eating and he can’t exactly call her out on that without the tables being flipped and the situation getting out of hand because she knows he doesn’t eat all that much too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just doesn’t feel hungry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s been coming home with more and more bruises and then disappears into her room for hours on end. She’s gotten better at her acting but he can see right through that fake smile she puts on in front of her parents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He makes that fake smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tan and Nami both know that something is up, he can tell. They’re just as worried as he is but… the way they both go about it just sets his teeth on edge. He loves them, but there are sometimes yikes moments. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nami’s overbearing gaze over Kaida’s shoulder, whenever the young teen graces the rest of them with her presence, is cringy to watch. It’s like she expects her to break her hand picking up the remote. She even made Kaida stop going to her self defense classes. That definitely was an endeavor. He spent the day with his hands covering his ears to block out the screaming. It was a surprise that none of the neighbors have called the police. A small selfish bit of Steven is kinda glad that they don’t do that to him, but it made him feel bad noticing how differently they treat him versus their own kid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tan is not that much better. He notices the shift in behavior and immediately provides distractions. Random dance parties and more movie days. It’s fun and stress relieving to just have a chance to hang out, but ignoring the problem doesn’t make it magically go away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t know why this is happening. What did he do wrong? Every time they make eye contact, it's like she’s challenging him. Like she’s just begging for a chance to scream at him again. He will find out why this is happening to his little sister and he will put a stop to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He promises.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A massive crowd of reporters that had been camping outside U.A.’s campus came to greet Steven on his way to the front gate. They thankfully hadn’t noticed him yet but his classmates weren’t all that lucky. The News was currently focused on interrogating Bakugo and Iida, allowing Steven to have a chance at getting by unnoticed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That small bit of hope was burned as soon as one person looked directly at Steven and started questioning him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you one of All Might’s students? Tell me what is he like?” Many microphones were shoved in his face much to his discomfort. They were more overbearing than Ronaldo when he came up with a crazy theory, and that was saying something. Technically this is kind of what he wanted. To get noticed by the media so that one of the Gems could possibly find him, but it was just so… uncomfortable. Like eyes were piercing into every inch of his body and there was no way to hide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, kid. How do you think All Might is faring as a teacher?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you in his class?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey aren’t you that really powerful kid from that sludge attack?” One reporter called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That last one threw him for a loop and he sputtered, stopping in his tracks which only encouraged the media vultures. The only reason he would know he even had something to do with that was because of a really glitchy video and the fact that Midoriya was there and </span>
  <em>
    <span>told him </span>
  </em>
  <span>he was there. Hardly the best source for information about how the hell he even got there in the first place though, no offense to Midoriya-kun. He had a few ideas and some were more outlandish than others, but technically possible nonetheless. One of them was that maybe this was another universe. He laughed at that when he first came up with it, but it’s growing more and more plausible in his mind. He didn’t want to think about it because if that were true, then that meant he had no possible way for him to go home… and that thought just…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It scares him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The number of people surrounding him was overwhelming. Some people were just </span>
  <em>
    <span>way too close. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Whether they were aware of it or just didn’t care was an enigma to him. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder which caused his brain to short circuit, his skin grew a rather familiar bright shade of pink. He looked up to see who the fuck was touching him. He instantly calmed down and the color receded at the sight of the bedraggled hobo he called sensei. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Aizawa-Sensei, you are my savior.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you’ve harassed my students enough.” The teacher gently maneuvered Steven behind him to get him to the gate and he was not complaining. He gladly accepted the route out and turned tail to run into the safety of his school. Before he got inside the building he heard the reporters demanding Aizawa to get All Might for them. He felt really bad about leaving his teacher there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, Steven. It’s ok to get out of a situation when it is too much for you. No one is going to judge you. I promise.” Connie reassured him.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He can still feel the phantom hand gently intertwined with his and how much he wishes that presence was still with him. Connie was someone who always understood him or at least took the time to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Present Mic booked it down the hallway, seemingly heading towards the media circus. For a hero that constantly dealt with the media 24/7 and even had his own radio talk show, he didn’t look happy to see the massive horde outside the school. After what Steven had just experienced, he can see why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They started homeroom off with Aizawa going over each group's results and things they could improve on. Naturally, he chastised Midoriya for his lack of control and Bakugo’s childish behavior. Aizawa looked up to meet Steven’s eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven, you need to work on your aim and environmental awareness.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven sluggishly nodded. There are a lot of things he needs to work on that he lost in the long months he spent not training with the Gems. He’ll get better. He will get back to his family. That he can promise. Aizawa continued to list off all the others’ feedback.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Up next: This will decide your future.” he deadpanned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uh oh. That never means anything good. The rest of the class seemed to reflect his thoughts, their eyes wary and uncertain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to choose a class representative.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class let out a collective sigh of relief. Steven was only confused. Many students shouted out among the class while others simply raised their hands. Steven didn’t know what the heck they were talking about so he decided not to participate. He knew what it stood for, he just didn’t know what it did or why it was significant. It probably wasn’t even that important but he held his hand up regardless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s a class representative?” His question silenced the once roaring group of teens and they all snapped their heads towards his direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“WHAT?” The whole class -minus him of course- shouted in unison. How did they manage to do that every single time?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iida looked absolutely scandalized. “A class rep’s duty is to lead others. It shows hero agencies that you have the skill to lead a group. They must have the trust of everyone in said group. I propose a democratic election to choose our class rep.” He said this while holding a firm hand in the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t everyone just vote for themselves anyway?” Kirishima laid back in his chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How about we make a rule where no one can vote for themselves? That way people will have to choose others to vote for.” Steven pointed out. Bakugo let out his occasional frustrated screech, right on schedule. It’s standard procedure. Mention teamwork, and wait for Bakugo to complain in some shape or form. Honestly reminds him of Jasper if she was a bit more… explosive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good thinking, Steven! It’s the best way. What do you think, Aizawa-Sensei?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, just don’t wake me up.” He grumbles, zipping himself up in his usual bright yellow sleeping bag. Ashido shuddered, knowing how seriously Aizawa takes his naps. She accidentally was too loud once and managed to wake him up, which honestly was an amazing feat he sleeps like a rock, and the glare she received was enough to silence her for the entire day. Aizawa-Sensei is a terrifying force of nature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Chiyo! It is Chiyo, right?” Kaminari took to an empty chair next to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is technically, but please call me Steven.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Um. I was wondering why you didn’t apply for class rep? I think you were the only one who didn’t apply for it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” Steven rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I guess I just didn’t feel up to it, ya know? I kind of have a lot on my mind these days. So, you ran for class rep’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I want to show all the hero agencies that I am a totally awesome leader.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jirou stifled a laugh. “You'll probably </span>
  <em>
    <span>short circuit</span>
  </em>
  <span> if you were put in</span>
  <em>
    <span> charge</span>
  </em>
  <span> of anybody.” Steven sputtered. Two. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Two </span>
  </em>
  <span>puns in one sentence. This is a beautiful conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, come on Jirou! I can lead.” He whined, crossing his arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As if.” Kaminari pouted even more and hung his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That stings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What she said really </span>
  <em>
    <span>shocked </span>
  </em>
  <span>you, huh?” Steven provided with a shit-eating grin on his face. Jirou started cackling and Kaminari jokingly shoved the two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vote ended up with Midoriya being class rep and Yaoyorozu as deputy. Steven and the self-proclaimed “Deku-squad” -Uraraka came up with it and everyone just went along with it- sat down at their usual lunch table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I cannot believe that I am class rep.” Deku hung his head in his hands. “Is everyone sure I’m a good fit?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have good initiative and a caring heart. Your quick-thinking and ability to go beyond, plus ultra style, is admirable. At least, that’s why I voted for you.” Iida wore a fond smile. Izuku lifted his head at that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You voted for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Iida nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you wanted to be class rep?” Uraraka inquired. “I mean you do look the part.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wanting to be class rep and being suited for it are two very different things. That’s what I’ve learned from the Iida family agency, at least.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what does your family do?” Midoriya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is your family full of heroes too, Iida?” Steven asked, resting his head in his hands. Iida let out a long-suffering sigh and relented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Iida’s have been pro heroes for generations. Do you know of the pro hero ‘Ingenium’?” Midoriya and Uraraka gave eager nods. “He’s my older brother. I’ve always looked up to him and I plan to follow in his footsteps and continue the tradition set by my ancestors,” Iida stated enthusiastically and full of pride.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Uraraka and Midoriya finished fanboying about Iida’s tie to </span>
  <em>
    <span>the </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ingenium, they turned to Steven. “What about you Steven? You said something about your family being full of heroes?” Midoriya innocently questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Give us all the details.” Uraraka’s once fond smile split into a snarky grin. “I wanna know more about you guys.” She cried.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Well, my family used to be in a hero group called ‘The Crystal Gems’!” <strike><em>Wait. That's not right-</em></strike></span>
  <span> “My moms Garnet, Amethyst, and PearI, were among the original members.” It was as if his mouth moved of its own accord. His once fond smile slipped off his face. He knew that what he said didn’t fit, but it felt as if he couldn’t stop himself from saying what he did. It felt like his brain was glitching, memories being rewritten and unwritten while he’s struggling to keep the crack in his mind from shattering. He wasn’t about to dump the whole ‘Oh by the way they’re aliens and I’m half alien too’ discussion on them so soon so he just clamped his mouth shut and didn’t even attempt to correct himself. Man, he needs to get more sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that hero group.” Midoriya stuck a hand inside his bag and pulled out a burned notebook and a pen. “Was this in America?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything Steven was gonna say was flushed down the drain when an alarm rang throughout the cafeteria. A nearby student explained that the alarm meant that someone had gotten past the gates and onto the campus. A horde of students ran as fast as they could down the hall towards the exit. Everyone was getting pushed this way and that. A short student with weird deep purple hair was seen getting trampled by everyone else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven jumped and tried to float in the air above the students, but the panic overrode the happy memory he tried to think of and he started to fall fast. He shot a rather pink hand out and held onto some pipes that were attached to the ceiling. Thankfully, they were able to handle Steven’s weight and didn’t budge as he dangled from them. Thank goodness he was wearing pants today. He shot a glance outside and saw the same group of reporters were no longer behind the gate, but all the way up to the main entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven!” Iida was suddenly floating above the group of students, lingering in the air near him. Uraraka must’ve used her quirk on him, Steven noted. “Can you push me towards the exit?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven nodded, catching onto what Iida was planning. When Steven was close enough to Iida, he let go of the pipes overhead and pushed Iida as lightly as he could. The force sent Iida and Steven back in opposite directions. Steven’s back hit the wall above the entrance of the hallway, thoroughly knocking the wind out of him, while Iida was doing a balancing act on the doorframe of the exit holding onto a pipe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One inspiring speech later, Iida was designated as Class Rep by Midoriya and the rest of the class happily went along with the change. The class also went home with the knowledge that they were going on a field trip tomorrow. Even though Aizawa-Sensei wouldn’t let them in on exactly where they were going, the whole class was still excited to see what was in store for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Little did they know that the security breach was no accident on the system’s part, but had a much rather malicious intent set behind it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was considering posting the USJ with this chapter but I want to spend as much time as I need to write that perfectly so I can deliver it how I want it and why make you guys wait another week or so when you can read this bit now. It is a bit short and I apologize for that but trust me when I say that the USJ will be a behemoth.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Someone isn't taking the revelation about the Nomu's existence very well...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO FUCKING LONG WITH THIS.</p><p>I nearly went double the number of pages I use with a normal chapter. Read it and weep.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Moonlight shown through Steven‘s open window. The cold wind that blew in his face made the tears sting in his eyes. He cradled his head in his hands. He can’t remember what the dream was about, but he had a feeling it was… important. Through bleary eyes he looked at the clock, letting his hands fall to his lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>5:37 A.M.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He has to go to school in a few hours. He shrugged and rolled out of bed, quietly as to not wake anyone else in the house. Hmm.. pants or skirt? He looked out his still open window and a shiver fell over him. Pants it is. He should really close that window right about now. It’s funny. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He doesn’t remember opening it… </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time he finished doing his daily routine, it was already 6 a.m. He shuffled into the living room fully dressed and ready to leave. Because they had a field trip today, everyone had to show up half an hour early. Since he lived so far away from Musutafu, since he lived in Hosu, he had to get on the train earlier than needed if he wanted to get to school on time. He left a note in the kitchen for Mom behind and promptly left to catch the train. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time he reached the classroom, only Iida had been there. “I’m glad to see someone taking school as seriously as I do! You really should get more sleep though.” He gestured to Steven’s obvious eye bags. “In order to be at your best, it is recommended that teens such as ourselves have at least eight hours of sleep a day!” Steven reached a self-conscious hand up to his face before dropping it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is it really that noticeable?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get to class so early. Is there something wrong? You look pretty worn out as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s nothing major. Just woke up early and couldn’t fall back asleep so I just decided to catch the train.” Steven sat down in his chair, throwing his bag down on the floor under the desk. “Why do the train maps look like the windows pipe screen?” Steven added after a beat of silence. Iida gave a booming laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They are sometimes perplexing. Have you never had to use the train back in America? I don’t think the train systems are any different over there.” Iida put a thumb over his chin inquisitively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I lived on the beach in a very small town. It doesn’t have a train and there never was a need for it anyways. I just used the warp pad if I ever had to go anywhere.” He rested his head in his hands, his eyes drifted to the window. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Warp pad? Is that some sort of new technology?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh shit. I slipped up. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>It doesn’t matter.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He said curtly. He didn’t mean to snap, it’s just...He’s looked everywhere for a warp pad. Even going so far as to sneak out of the house to search for one. Nothing. Iida continued to ask him about the matter as Steven gave several hints for him to drop the subject.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, more students trickled in. After everyone had settled into their seats, Aizawa slammed the door open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get your costumes and gather outside in the Bus Zone. Don’t ask any stupid questions about where we’re going or I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> expel you.” He left as quickly as he came. In the meantime, Iida revealed the whistle around his neck. Steven snorted. It was obnoxious in an endearing sort of way and just so… so Iida. They quickly loaded on the bus. Many people didn’t waste any time jumping into conversations with their friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The layout of this bus ruined my strategy…” Iida pouted. Steven patted him sympathetically on the back that he hoped came off as sincere and not derisive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that you know the layout, you can come up with an even better boarding plan on the way back.” Steven pointed out. Iida seemed to perk up a bit in that revelation but remained sulky. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah dude, it’s no big deal. Just relax.” Kaminari leaned back in his chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Asking Iida to chill is like asking Bakugou to call us by our real names.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut the fuck up Tape-Face.” Bakugou seethed. Sero pulled a strip of tape from his elbows and put it over his mouth with a cheeky grin. Steven sputtered, Iida guffawed, Kaminari fell out of his seat, and Bakugo might have found his next target because it looks like he wants to blast the guy to kingdom come.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? I did what you said.” His voice was muffled by the tape and the action caused Steven and Kaminari to laugh even harder. The blonde leveled a glare at the duo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently not good enough if I can still hear your dumbass. What? Is your quirk not strong enough?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asui leaned over to Midoriya. “Speaking of quirks, Midoriya. I was just wondering; your quirk is really similar to All Might’s, kero.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Midoriya’s face turned paler than that of a sheet of paper. “Uh, I never thought of that, Asui-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you to call me Tsu.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry! Uh-um, maybe I could ask him a-about it sometime.” His face was beet red and he was fidgeting all over the place. A guy with spiky red hair -Kirishima was his name? - jumped into the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All Might doesn't hurt himself with his own quirk though, so they aren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> similar. It must be nice having a flashy quirk, though! Especially one that is considered to be close to All Might’s. I’ve been told my quirk is strong and powerful, but I don’t think it’s all that special...” He used his quirk to harden his arm in a demonstration. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow that looks so cool. The amount of durability that would allow him must be insane!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding? That looks amazing!” Midoriya and Steven said at the same time. They both looked at each other in shock and started laughing a little at the coincidence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have a lot of potential and applications with your quirk. I think you’ll be an amazing hero.” Midoriya piped up. Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck, not expecting much praise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Though if I had to point out who has the strongest and flashiest quirks here, it would be Chiyo, Todoroki, and Bakugo.” Kirishima deflected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaminari bumped shoulders with Kirishima. “But Bakugo has a personality akin to that of a flaming trash can, so…” Bakugo let out an undignified squawk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck did you say you shitty Pikachu reboot?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Proving my point, my dude” Kaminari and Bakugo dissolved into an argument. Well, more of Kaminari trading insults while Bakugo gave out not so empty threats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Steven sighed. “Since the entire class is here, I have something to say.” Most of the class, sans Todoroki, Bakugo, and Kaminari, turned their heads to give him the spotlight. “Just call me Steven!” He threw his hands up in exasperation and let them fall after hanging for a few seconds in the air. “I love my adoptive parents and all, but I’ve gone as Steven my whole life-” Not that anyone really cared since gems just couldn’t tell the difference between </span><em><span>him </span></em><span>and his</span><em><span> mom.</span></em> <em><span>Seriously!</span></em><span> Does he </span><em><span>look</span></em><span> like an eight-foot leader with bright, curly pink hair to you? Or an immensely tall, pink wearing Diamond? </span><em><span>Anyway-</span></em><span> “-and I don’t need that to change too.” Aizawa lifted an eyebrow in his direction. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bakugou reached new heights of screaming Steven never thought the blonde could hit as he tackled Kirishima, who had activated his quirk and was </span>
  <em>
    <span>still laughing</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha doin’?” Steven leaned over to peek at Kaminari’s phone that was recording the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, just saving memories.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pfft! Send that to me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, shut it. We’re here.” Aizawa scolded, as monotone as ever. The students didn’t need to be told twice as everyone hastily shut up and sat quietly in their seats, waiting for the bus to stop. The bus pulled up to a massive building with a glass dome as a roof. It looked awesome and they weren’t even inside yet! Waiting outside for them was someone dressed in a human spacesuit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello everyone! I’ve been waiting for you guys!” The hero addressed the class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is No. Thirteen. They will be assisting with class today. As will All Might.” Many students cheered at the sight of the famous pro and the knowledge that All Might would be teaching them today. The space hero ushered Aizawa aside. He quickly returned to the class, grumbling under his breath. Something about someone being an irresponsible idiot.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Poor soul…</span>
  </em>
  <span> Steven thought gravely. He walked up to Midoriya who was wearing the school gym clothes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you wearing your costume?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It looked like someone chucked it into a shredder so I have to wait for the support company to fix it up for me.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh right. The mock battle...</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or as I like to call it, the USJ!” Thirteen started. “Here we will be putting you through fires, floods, earthquakes, and windstorms. You get hands-on experience on how to handle these natural disasters.” No. Thirteen ushered the class inside. “Follow me.” Steven marveled at the sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Thirteen is my all-time favorite hero!” Uraraka enthusiastically whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Settle down. You most likely already know my quirk, but for those of you who are unfamiliar with my work, it is called Black-Hole. I can suck up anything near me and turn it to dust. This is useful for rescue operations but I have the capacity to kill if I do not handle my quirk properly. Quirks can be dangerous if used recklessly. It doesn’t matter how noble the intention is, a death is a death. Shrapnel from explosions can gravelly hurt somebody within range. Ice can cause hypothermia. Acid can burn. Many of you have the ability to kill.” Steven flinched greatly at the grave statement. He knew from first-hand experience about how dangerous his quirk can be. Quirk. Since when did he call his powers a quirk? “That is why we are here. Learn how to control those dangers and save lives at the same time.” A tiny seed of hope grew in his heart. The hope that maybe, </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> he would be able to put his rather destructive powers to good use.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A dark purple swirled through the air just beyond the steps, cutting off the space hero. Hundreds of villains exited out of the portal. Steven shuddered. It looked way too familiar somehow. A blue-haired guy with many </span>
  <em>
    <span>severed </span>
  </em>
  <span>fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>hands</span>
  </em>
  <span> covering his person stepped out of the portal that quickly dissolved. A person made of the same purple mist of the portal surrounded him so you couldn’t see his face. If he had one that is. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Does he? Or is it just smoke? You’re getting off-topic.</span>
  </em>
  <span> A very large bird-like creature stood hunched over beside the two. If birds had muscles and an exposed brain that is. It was sickening to look at. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is this a corrupted gem somehow?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is that thing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a part of the training?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thirteen! Protect the students.” Aizawa put his goggles on and readied his capture weapon. “Those are real villains, get yourselves to safety, and alert the rest of the campus.” He’s not gonna let us engage? Why not? He’s right about the alarms though. If the alarms aren’t going off that means that nobody else knows that this is happening. But... -But he can help! The Gems never hesitated to let him step in when he reached a certain age… He’s not eight, he’s seventeen fucking years old. He doesn’t need to be babied. He’s strong. He’s powerful. His shields can protect everyone! He began to take a few steps forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stay back!” Aizawa shouted. Steven flinched at the harshness in his teacher’s voice and stopped his advance, but didn’t back down. Why was he so adamant about this? They might have to fight anyway if things get out of hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. There are only two real heroes present here. We were under the impression that All Might should have been joining you. Perhaps, a change of plans?” The mist villain calmly stated. It was unsettling. The only thing the warp villain portrayed was level-headedness or at least the illusion of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps if we kill a few kids he’ll come running.” The hand villain spoke in a crazed manner. Very on par with most villains. It still sent a shiver down his spine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It all happened so fast. Aizawa-Sensei rushed down to take care of the villains, the warp villain slipped past him, a deep purple shrouded him, and the next thing he knew- he was free falling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A crystal blue came into view as he crashed into it. Water. He was submerged quite a way down into the deep pool. The force of colliding with the lake knocked all the air out of him and shattered his visor. Out of a moment of pure instinct, he coughed. Bad choice. Water flooded into his nose and mouth as he choked on it. He made a break for the surface as fast as he could. His vision was beginning to blackout before something grabbed a hold of his waist and he was pulled to the surface. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was set down on a metal deck of some sort, a ship maybe? He fell to his knees and threw up a startling amount of water and took deep shaky breaths and coughed violently. When he looked up, to his relief, Tsuyu and Midoriya were staring straight back with varying levels of concern etched on their faces. They hovered over him, not really knowing how to help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven, are you ok, kero?” Tsu came up next to him and helped him up. He felt faint and nearly swerved to the right before she tightened her grip on him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be ok. I should self heal in a sec. ’is all good…” He slurred. His lightheadedness was quickly clearing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Asui.” Midoriya slid down and rested his head against the railing of the ship. They were all completely waterlogged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you to call me Tsu.” She let Steven slide down to the floor and sat down with them. The metal was cold but the rest was welcome as he practically melted into the floor. He stole a glance at his shoes. They were made by a support company and were supposed to help with his floating ability, and they were irrevocably destroyed. Water gushed out of the repulsors and the inside components sputtered and started smoking. They definitely won’t be able to function anymore. Shit. He should really look into getting them to be water-resistant in the future.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ok. So we appear to be in the shipwreck zone. We’re still in the USJ. We didn’t go very far and we still have a chance of regrouping with the rest of the class. I’m sure one of them or No. Thirteen is contacting All Might and the rest of the pros right now.” Midoriya stated optimistically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s to say they aren’t split up as well? Realistically, we don’t know how long our teachers can last. And if All Might does end up getting alerted, what about him? Who knows if he’ll get off scot-free? We should focus on protecting ourselves so we can have a chance of alerting the pros in the first place, kero.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A thrashing in the water alerted the three of the incoming villains approaching the boat and all of them hastily rose to their feet. They came close enough that Steven was a bit concerned that they were going to hop onto the boat and take them all out now, but they didn’t. They got close enough to set the group on edge but didn’t make a move to get closer than that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they’re here for All Might, we must do everything in our power to put an end to their plan. We can’t let them succeed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Especially since if they’ve gone through all that trouble to separate us, they might actually have a plan on how to kill him,” Tsu stated, almost completely unfazed, but he can tell by the way her shoulders are tensed and the way her eyes have sharpened, that she is just as scared as Steven always is in situations like these. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven peered over the railing, into the water. Quite a lot of the villains down below were either wearing respirators or had gills or something of the like. “The villains don’t appear to be moving, and a lot of them have gear or certainly noticeable quirks that help them in water.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They must’ve been chosen specifically for this type of environment, meaning they must’ve known what the USJ consisted of. They planned this out to a T. The only thing is… why did they send you here Asu- I…” Midoriya choked on air. “I mean Tsu!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realization dawned on her face. “You’re right. It would’ve been way smarter to drop me off in the fire zone, not here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They must not seem to know our powers.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven allowed himself a small smile. That gave them a huge advantage. He needed to stomp on that flicker of hope </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now</span>
  </em>
  <span> before it got out of hand. That line of thought still didn't guarantee their safety. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya set his gaze on the water below them. “The villains aren’t moving. They’re too unsure. Since they don’t know our quirks, in their minds, we could be super powerful. They planned on trying to take us out by sheer size. That gives us a major advantage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should know what each other's quirks are. I’ll go first. My quirk is frog, I can jump very high, cling to walls, spit my tongue out, and secrete a slightly corrosive mucus that just stings a little bit. I can also spit my stomach out to clean it but that wouldn’t help us in this situation.” She cringed for a few seconds at that last admission but quickly pulled her face into a blank expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s really cool Tsu! I have super strength and speed, but right now I don’t have the best control and end up breaking my bones if I use it.” Midoriya turned sheepish. “I’m trying to learn how not to do that.” The two glanced over directly at Steven prompting an answer from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My quirk is called Gem. I have a gem on my navel that provides me with a wide set of abilities. I have super strength, speed, durability, can float, summon a shield and other protective structures like bubbles, and I recently learned how to center a bubble around my fists which help with hand to hand combat, and I can bubble items and send them to a set location. I have healing that can work on anything including objects and plants. I can shapeshift a tiny bit but I can’t do it for very long without getting tired and I can’t do anything complex.” He stops and takes a deep breath. He feels like he’s been talking too much. Has he been talking too much? He presses on. “I have other mental abilities, but they force my body to be out of commission for however long I’m using it and I don’t have a handle on those yet, so they wouldn't help us. All my powers are linked to my emotional and mental state. I recently gained a power which I’ve called ‘overdrive’, my whole body turns pink when I’m severely triggered and stressed and all my powers get a sort of boost due to the fight or flight response the brain releases in life-threatening situations.” Steven racked his brain for any other powers he has. Anything he can do to help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you’re a bit overpowered Steven, kero.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, I knew about the healing, strength, and floating, but all that? That’s amazing! You have a truly powerful quirk!” Izuku praised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m getting impatient!” A thug shouted. By the use of some unknown quirk the boat was sliced in half, causing it to sink rapidly. Steven struggled to keep his balance as the ship rocked through the treacherous waters below. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All right here’s the plan-” Steven and Asui carefully listened to each word while simultaneously worrying about the water that was getting closer to them by the second. Midoriya let out a fierce yell and jumped off the railing. He concentrated his power into his index finger and his thumb and sent a flick towards the water below him. The wind pressure separated the water. As the water separated from the middle, the villains were dragged along with the current into a massive whirlpool. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asui grabbed a hold of Steven and flung themselves over to catch Midoriya in midair. Steven tried his best to conjure up a good memory that hasn’t turned sour. Thinking of Connie or the Gems are out of the question, they aren’t here with him and he has no clue where they might be. Lion? No. Also unknown. The Deku Squad? A smile broke through his solemn face. His friends. Friends that are his age and haven’t tried to kill him before. Friends that know what it is like to have powers in a world where it is the norm so that he himself no longer feels like a stranger to his own planet. His friends that have stuck with him and haven’t gone away yet. Even though he’s incredibly awkward, or sometimes invasive, they stick by his side. He hasn’t known them for long but he would die for every single one of them. He focuses on his first memories of them, lunch discussions, long trips to the train station, and he felt his floating power become the strongest it has been in a very long while. The momentum from pushing off the ship sent them flying away from the shipwreck zone. The water eventually crashed all the way back to the middle and thoroughly knocked the wind out of some of the villains. They had no way to detain them or put them out of commission without starting a fight that would be way too time-consuming, so the villains were still free but dazed and a few dragged themselves to shore only to pass out on the fake sand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven wrapped his arms around Asui and Midoriya and began their slow descent to shore. The jostling of Midoriya gained a slight hiss of pain from the green-haired boy. Steven grabbed the injured hand. He licked his finger and pressed it to the wound, which healed with a soft glow of pink. Midoriya instantly breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping from their tensed position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could follow the shoreline so we could avoid the central plaza.” Midoriya started. “But-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what about Aizawa-Sensei...” Steven finished. “There’s only so much time he has before he too gets defeated. Everyone reaches their limits at some point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you two actually suggesting we should jump into a fight?” Asui deadpanned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Midoriya refuted. “I think we might just get in the way. But if we can lighten his load-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’ll stand a chance. I don’t doubt our teacher’s abilities but that doesn’t stop me from being concerned. I want to help in any way I can, before the bad things happen.” He was not going to back down from this. This is a crisis situation, and he is not just going to stand by while others are risking their lives. Especially the only responsible adult he’s seen in a while. He may show up to class looking like he died that morning and was now possessing his own body, but he didn’t allow the other students to come and join in a battle when the villains came, his priority was getting all of them out of harm’s way, unlike the Gems. He loves them, gosh he loves them, but the things he went through as a kid because of the battles he took place in really messed him up. He doesn't want anyone to suffer like that. This is his responsibility. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We shouldn’t interfere!” Tsu chimed in, desperate to get the two to not do anything rash. “Maybe we could go over and check on him and get rid of a few stragglers, but I don’t want to limit our teacher from doing his job by getting in the way or by getting caught.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With everyone agreeing on that, they slowly made their way to the central plaza. They stuck close to the edge of the platform where it meets the water and poked their heads up just enough to see what was going on. Eraserhead battling villains left and right, until the hand guy got a hold of his elbow. Something happened. Steven squinted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is that… what is that?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eraserhead’s long sleeves disintegrated till it was nothing and the skin flaked off of his arm exposing the muscles underneath. Steven’s stomach rolled at the sight, a bright shade of pink accompanying his unsettled stomach. The group let out a collective startled gasp. Their teacher wrestled out of the villain’s hold, keeping quite a distance between them as he clutched his destroyed elbow. A group of the remaining thugs surrounded him and he took care of them swiftly. The bird creature crept up behind him... and all he saw was blood. Lots and lots of blood. He dry retched at the gruesome scene before him. Gem’s didn’t bleed and Connie never got hurt </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad. He slammed his hands over his mouth to keep a strangled cry from passing his lips and alerting the villains. Midoriya stiffened and Tsu looked away. He tried to move. To do something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything!</span>
  </em>
  <span> But he can’t. He just </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The bird thing- Nomu- whatever the fuck the evil dude called him, took Aizawa-Sensei’s arm and twisted it the other way causing it to break with a sickening snap. The Nomu slammed a hand on the other arm shattering that one too. It didn’t even stop there as the creature slammed his face into the concrete, a crater forming underneath where the blow had landed on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A deep shroud of purple appeared next to the hand dude. “Shigaraki Tomura, Thirteen is out of commission but one of the students managed to slip outside.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank Fuck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shigaraki seemed to process this for a minute, before bringing his hands up to scratch at his neck looking disgruntled. He looked positively pissed, and that’s saying something seeing as Steven can’t see the guy’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>face</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Kurogiri, you failed us. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If you weren’t a useful pawn I wouldn’t hesitate to tear you apart</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He stops his frantic movements abruptly and appears to calm down in the slightest. “It seems as if it is game over, we can’t hold out if a bunch of pros shows up. Let’s go home.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re leaving?” Tsu croaked out to no one in particular. Steven still stood there with his hands over his mouth, frozen. His eyes never leave Aizawa for a second. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If we do have to leave though, we can still take down the Symbol of Peace. I wonder how the news would handle All Might letting a few kids die in his care.” At that moment Shigaraki locked eyes with the group and was there in a flash. His hand hovering over </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tsu’s face</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Steven’s brain kicked into overdrive. With lightning-fast reflexes he stepped in between the villain, taking Tsu’s place, while the hand descended on his face instead. Steven shut his eyes and tensed up, waiting for whatever unspeakable pain might befall him. Nothing happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hand left his face with a chuckle. “You really are cool, Eraserhead.” Steven’s eyes flung open to find his teacher’s gaze on the villain, quirk activated. He was broken and bloody almost beyond recognition, his head still held firmly in the Nomu’s grasp. Not a second later, his head gets smashed back into the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get away from them!” Midoriya doesn’t spare a minute before he launches an attack on the hand villain. The wind pressure whipped through the air and Steven brought his hands up to shield his face from the onslaught. The dust eventually settled to show the Nomu had taken the blow in Shigaraki’s stead. The creature didn’t look even the slightest bit fazed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Screams permeated through Steven’s mind. It was a high, shrill, almost purely animalistic shriek. A small, more human-like voice pushed its way through the fog in Steven’s head, the screaming never ceased for a second. It was broken. A completely </span>
  <em>
    <span>shattered</span>
  </em>
  <span> sounding noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>H̴̛̛̦̲͉̑̿́̈́̊̐̾̑͂̕̕͝ē̸̯̞̠̪̭͎̯̞͇͔͖͂̃͑̓̊̓̈̃͘͝͝-̸̩͙͓̮̳̈́p̶̹̻̰̤̩̗̞̗̖͉̹͓̈̂͋̉́͒̄̀͑͜͠ ̸̡̨̡̛̙̥̯̦͖̲̱͖̮̮̝̑͋̃̓̏̓̄͂̍͗͝M̵̡̬͉͙̟̹̖̩͇̒͜-̵̨̛͍̳̲̙̯̞͊́̉̏͆̑̚̚ͅm̵̢̻̝͊̃̈́̄̃̈́̀̾͌͂̀͝e̵̛̟̟͙̦̝̞͕͓̣͈̗̗͆͋̂̎̀́̍̍̅̈̍̽̓͘</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like the cluster, and very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>not.</span>
  </em>
  <span> With the cluster, it was endless voices overlapping one another, this… </span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a singular voice broken up in so many ways it didn’t sound human or even </span>
  <em>
    <span>humanoid,</span>
  </em>
  <span> at least not any more. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What are they? A gem experiment? No. There’s no gem anywhere on their body and he put an end to the experiments. There aren’t any more! He made sure of it! That could only mean… no. No! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tears streamed down his face in an endless flood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The image of the Nomu fazed in and out of Steven's rattled brain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cluster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nomu.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>̵̡̨̝͚͔̥͎̖̙̩̺̳̺̼̊̈̈̇̍͆ͅH̶̛̪͉̩̘̱̬̼̱̦̤̏͗̐̓̍͋͛͗̆̐̏ͅȩ̸̡̣͙̱̻̞̗͉̝̺̜͍̾̿̓̕͠l̶̫͈̱̋͗͛͛̄̂̾͌̓̉͘ṕ̵̧̢̱̰̤͔͎̩͕͖͙̮̭̊͋͌̈͂͗͑̍̍̚͜ͅ ̷̨̛͇͚͕̹͖̲̳̂̇̋̽̍̒͊͝m̷̛̖̦̠͔̉̓̋̔̔̾͐̚̕e̷̝͍̖͈̼̣̱͔̟̻̼̩͌̈́͆̎̄̈́ͅ</span>
</p><p>
  <span>̶̢̡̡̡̫̙̤͉̩͉̱̻̟̲̤̈́̀́̈́͌̃͛̃͆̌͝</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Cluster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nomu.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>H̶̜̠̼͉̪̠͈͛̕ͅE̷̟͚͎̪̘̰̺͈̠̟̓͆͊̂̏L̴̢̖͕̰̲̤̬͓̳̣̞͙͚̥̞̎̃͂͛̄̔̕P̷̡̬̦̲̻̮̝̩͓̠̺̫̻̖̓͊̾̀̇̆͐̊̾͋͐̒̕͠ ̵̨̧̖̼͈͚̦͈̦̄͂̎͋̓͛̈̋̍̆̚M̵̛̲͍̻̯͖̯͆̃̈́͋̄̊̾̄̚Ȩ̸͉̄̈́̓̒̇̓̒͑͛̑̆͠͠͝</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cluster.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Nomu.</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This used to be a person. A human being with their own thoughts and feelings. Steven choked back some vomit at the revelation. Everything was in a blur. The Nomu grabbed Midoriya. Steven stood there unfazed. Shigaraki got even closer with a threatening hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven didn’t move.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tsu tried to rescue both of them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven didn’t respond.</span>
  </em>
  <span> All Might came. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t do anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. He could breathe. He couldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>speak</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He can’t do this again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He can’t.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’s been scared so many times. So many times. He had been through hell and back and now he’s in it again. But he’s never had paralyzing fear. He’d always been able to smile through it, to power through. Break a leg, walk it off right? What’s different? It’s almost the same as the Cluster. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Except it’s not.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It’s not like the Cluster. The Cluster was composed of multiple people who, even though were fragmented and missing a piece of themselves, they had each other, they had their pieces no matter how small it was. With a bit of fixing from Yellow Diamond, their lives were given back to them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This.</span>
  </em>
  <span> This was completely and utterly shattered. The pieces weren’t there to put back together. This was like opening a puzzle to find only twelve pieces in the box, to begin with. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>human</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not Gem. He doesn’t know how he can fix this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven only breaks out of his spell when he’s suddenly being manhandled by the Number One hero and is a good few yards away from where he nearly got himself killed from being stuck in his own mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take Aizawa and head to the entrance. Get out of here!” All Might can’t even smile at this point. His face stuck in a grimace. Steven steals himself. The threat is still present, but someone needs his help and he will never refuse. He may not be good at taking care of himself, but taking care of others has always been his forte. He bends down and heals Aizawa-Sensei of his wounds, before lunging him over his shoulders in a ranger roll. He isn’t all that heavy. It was kinda like holding a sack of potatoes. It’s just that his teacher is noticeably taller than him, so his legs drag onto the ground. Tsu held onto his legs while Midoriya walked alongside her and they booked it away from the central plaza. When they reached a safe enough distance they slowed to a walk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven? Hey, are you ok? ...Steven?” Midoriya lightly nudges his back, just above a scar that causes Steven to immediately flinch and turn an even bright glow of pink and he can’t turn it </span>
  <em>
    <span>off</span>
  </em>
  <span> despite his futile attempts. Midoriya drops his hand in shock. Steven doesn’t reply. He can’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t stopped crying since that close call back there, kero.” It’s blunt but she speaks softly and quietly, like someone trying to calm a feral cat they found on the street. He wipes the tears off of his face but more tears come just to spite him. He gives a shaky thumbs up to the two behind him and keeps trudging on. He doesn’t turn his head enough to see Tsu and Midoriya share a concerned glance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, All Might is there, kero. An unstoppable pro.” He scoffed. He doesn’t want to come off as rude, but no one is impervious, not even him. Huh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially him. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’s always been put on this pedestal, ever since it came out that his mom was Pink Diamond, that he is untouchable, unruffled, never faltering or doubting himself when the time comes. This is the same. This is someone who understands. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They’re wrong.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He thinks when they turn to find All Might holding onto the Nomu, his attack fully dodged by a portal taking place of the ground so the creature didn’t get hurt. Dark, sharp fingers dig into All Might’s side, blood gushing out in droves. All Might dropped the creature from his hold in order to attempt to pry the fingers off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya’s grip slackened, as he started to turn tail to run towards the conflict once more. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck is he doing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tsu, Steven, take Aizawa-Sensei back to the entrance!” Midoriya yelled, hastily giving her Aizawa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you gonna do, kero?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no clue!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven gives her a pleading glance and she sighs, taking Aizawa’s full weight, allowing him to run after his friend. He made it to the plaza in just enough time to see Bakugo, Todoroki, and Kirishima on the scene with All Might out of the Nomu’s grasp. Bakugo held a firm grasp on the warp villain. Steven watched in abject horror as the Nomu climbed out of the portal, breaking off the limbs on his right side due to the ice that once surrounded it. Its fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>limbs</span>
  </em>
  <span> just decided it was rewind time and grew back like a fuckin</span>
  <em>
    <span> lizard</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get him Nomu.” The hand villain rasped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creature zeroed in on Bakugo in an instant. Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s stressed, Pearl isn’t here, and neither is his dad, so yes he will cuss as much as he likes. Using his overdrive, he sped towards where the explosive kid was standing and summoned the strongest shield he can muster. When the dust settled, he looked back to see that Bakugo wasn’t there but with his friends a few feet away, All Might stood tall, the grimace a permanent feature on his face at the circumstance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? A new contender? Sensei must know about you. You’re stronger than you seem if you managed to block my Nomu.” Coming from his lips, it wasn’t a compliment. More of a threat. A threat he had to neutralize.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why attack at the school? If your goal is to hurt All Might you could’ve done so at any given time he was out patrolling. Did you just want to hurt children for shits and giggles or did you just not care?” Kirishima yelled. He just needs to stall until the pros show up then everything will be fine. Yep... Mhm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, </span>
  <em>
    <span>chatty.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It would be the only time All Might wouldn’t suspect it. If he was patrolling he would’ve already been prepared for a fight.” Shigaraki narrowed his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“These are innocent children. They have no role in this fight!” All Might spat. If looks could kill Shigaraki would’ve been blasted from here to London and </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>survive the trip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On the contrary, that simple-looking child tried to kill me with all his power.” He pointed at Midoriya. “Would an innocent person do that let alone a hero? What gives you the right to determine which acts of violence are heroic and which ones are villainous? You’re just another government-issued problem designed to promote violence in the name of </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> when you’re about as far as you can get. It severely pisses me off. The world will know of just how much chaos your presence brings when they find your body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You bad guys are all the same. You try to flip the tables to make your actions sound like they aren’t that bad when in reality you destroy because you think it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Yes, we live in a world that breeds a lot of violence, but that doesn’t mean we should succumb to it as you have. Violence isn’t the only answer.” All Might stood proud in his words, but the villains didn’t seem to digest a single word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Save it for someone who cares, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hero.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven summoned his bubble fists, Midoriya dropped into an offensive position, and Kirishima activated his hardening. They prepared to charge before All Might held a hand out in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stand down, do not fight. Get yourselves to safety, </span>
  <em>
    <span>now.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need our help, trying to take them down all on your own isn’t smart. You have back up.” Todoroki counters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are children, not back up, and I am not going to let you engage and get hurt worse than Aizawa. Now go! I’ve got this. Just watch a pro get to work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him. I’ll go after the children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shigaraki charged towards them. The Nomu and All Might clashed as their fight grew more and more powerful and desperate. He and his friends were barely managing to keep a strong foothold to ensure they didn't go flying. Handsy was sent flying through the pressurized wind, knocking him back a good distance. It ended as soon as it started. The Nomu was sent flying out of the USJ, with a lot of eerie screams that made Steven’s blood boil. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who did this and how? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Handsy and Warp dude fled quickly after the pros had shown up. Midoriya, who threw himself between All Might and the Villains just before they fled, was now sprawled out on the ground with two shattered legs. Ouch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven and Kirishima broke out into a sprint. “Midoriya are you ok?!” Kirishima yelled. Steven wanted to yell with him, but the words died in his throat. No noise came out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya seemed to get really… flustered? Waving his hands all over the place, he yelled “Stop!” The mist parted for just a few seconds. Is that… All Might? Cementoss erected a massive cement wall shielding his gaze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go back to the entrance, we can handle it from here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quickly shook his head. No, that’s just the teacher he saw in his grandmother’s office. He waved it off and turned towards Kirishima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guess we better head off, let’s go tell Bakugo and Todoroki to head back with us.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Can Hizashi help with Steven's sudden muteness? Is Aizawa gonna have an even bigger headache after this? Will Tsukauchi find the truth? </p><p> </p><p>Next Time: The Truth Is In My Silence</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Truth Is In My Silence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steven is brought to the police station.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am going on hiatus till Winter break is done during January. I need to spend some time with my family during the holidays so I won't get much done if I weren't going on hiatus anyways. Hopefully when I get back my creativity will return to me. Sorry for taking so long I've had finals all this week. I apologize if this sounds corny or is a bit disappointing, I know it's short. Sorry.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Aizawa-Sensei!” The rest of the class cried. “We saw what happened at the plaza. Are you okay?” Asui gently let him go for him to hold his own weight. He seemed fine enough. Hizashi breathed a huge sigh of relief. He ran over and to check on him the second he got in the USJ. Nothing looked wrong. He looked perfectly </span>
  <em>
    <span>healthy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> So what happened in the plaza?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Present Mic! We need your help!” Hizashi barely had any time to brace himself before Kirishima grabbed him by the hand and started booking it down the stairs. He’s honestly very surprised he didn’t trip but it was a very near thing. He noticed Sho ran after them too, ready for a fight. When they finally reached the plaza, it was like looking at your phone when it’s two a.m. in the morning. A pink disco ball of some sort was shining in the middle of the plaza. He had to strain his eyes to try and decipher what he was looking at. He spotted the familiar curly hair belonging to Steven and it didn’t take much to find out he was at the epicenter and the emitter of the bright light. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He did this during the entrance exam as well. Must be a part of his quirk, though he doesn’t regularly use it. Nevermind that, that Bakugou kid is strangling the poor listener. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, woah. What is going on over here?” Hizashi sidled up to Bakugou and put a gentle hand on his shoulder that was quickly shrugged off. Shouta immediately went to erase his quirk. Hizashi narrowed his eyes and gently tried to peel the kid’s hand off of Steven’s jacket. “Let him go, little listener.” The kid gruffed and dropped Steven with a thud. Steven’s eyes darted around and he was trembling an awful lot. “Hey, hey… what’s wrong? Did something happen after the villains left?” When he received nothing but a wide eyed stare he directed his question to the other three kids that were just standing around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hasn’t been talking.” Kirishima hung his head. “We’ve tried everything. Bakugou tried to calm him down from a panic attack, because I didn’t know how to do that, but I think he only escalated it.” At least the kid had the common sense to look guilty. Bakugou on the other hand-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t see any of you extras doing anything useful! At least I made something happen.” The explosive boy bit back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hizashi directed his attention back to the trembling kid in front of him. “I’m so sorry that happened listener, but I need you to take deep breaths okay? In-” He took an exaggerated breath and slowly let it out. “-and out.” Steven’s eyes glazed over but he at least made an attempt to copy him so it was progress. “Okay, can you do that again?” They continued the exercise until his breathing slowed and the fuschia color faded from his skin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It must’ve been an emotional trigger that set off a part of his quirk.</span>
  </em>
  <span> When that was all said and done, Steven leaped into his arms and clung to him. He was a bit taken aback but was quick to wrap his arms around the small kiddo in return and started to rub circles into his back. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I know. That attack was scary.” He continued to speak softly until the curly haired boy pulled back from the hug after a few minutes had passed. His face was all blotchy and he still hasn't stopped crying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aizawa turned to the other students, mainly Kirishima, who were watching them with slight interest they tried to hide. “Go to the entrance, the police are waiting outside and need to collect your witness statements and go over a few things with all of you. We’ll meet you there okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They waited until all of them had made it up the stairs before they started walking. Mic walked between Steven and Shouta. “A little birdie told me you knew ASL. Is that true?” He saw a lot of emotions flicker through the kid’s face. Surprise, awkwardness, sadness- they only lasted for a few seconds until he hesitantly nodded. “Well what a coincidence, I know ASL too. If you don’t feel comfortable talking just yet do you think you’ll be able to sign?” There was a moment where Steven just stared at him before nodding once more. He turned to Steven and held out a hand which the boy willingly took. Mic felt a lot of things at that moment. Anger, regret, relief, and just sheer protectiveness over this child and the other students. They were kids. Just kids. They shouldn’t have had to go through all of this! He should’ve been faster. He should’ve trusted his instinct when Shouta didn’t answer any of his texts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they both walked outside of the USJ, Mic went up to Tsukauchi. He updated them both on what was going on with Steven. Tsukauchi turned to Steven, notepad in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that you’ve been through quite a lot, but I need to know what happened during the attack from your point of view. Any small detail could help us figure out who these people are and what they’re planning. I’ve heard you were at the center of all the action.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven turned to Hizashi and started signing. Hizashi nodded and processed this information and went on to translate. “He said; Too many people around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could continue this down at the police station? There are less people there so we would have total privacy.” Tsukauchi offered with a slight frown. Steven just shrugged and so the adults all agreed that down at the station would be the better option. And that’s how Mic found himself shoved into the back of a police cruiser with Steven next to him, Shouta in the front, and Tsukauchi in the driver’s seat. The only sound cutting through the otherwise awkward silence was Steven humming a pretty tune.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>“Whatcha humming there, bud?” </b>
  <span>The kid’s eye lit up even if just a little bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>“It’s a song that me and my family wrote. It’s about why we became heroes.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“That sounds really cool. Mind telling me about it?” </b>
  <span>They both moved to be able to see each other's signs more clearly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven seemed to contemplate this for a long moment before giving a small nod. </span>
  <b>“My real family is full of heroes, except my dad. So when I was a kid I made a song about them because I really wanted to join them.”</b>
  <span> His expression dimmed. </span>
  <b>“I was always left behind a lot while they went out on missions. At least, until my quirk came in when I was thirteen.”</b>
  <span> They were ‘silent’ for the rest of the trip. Mic quickly jotted down Steven’s late quirk manifestation on his phone. The picture he’s being painted isn’t a pretty one. If he’s being completely honest, he’s more than concerned for the kid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The minute they stepped into Tsukauchi’s office, he was called into the interrogation room. With a small apology and a promise to come back in around 20 minutes he ran off with two other officers, leaving Mic, Eraser, and Steven in Tsukauchi’s office. It was fairly simple. There was a small, clean desk with a laptop and a lamp, a TV showing the cams was attached to the top corner of the room for everyone to see incase of an emergency, and a couch next to the door. Steven sprawled out on the couch while he and Shouta took a seat on the armchairs opposite from the detective’s desk. The kid was out in minutes. Honestly, he couldn’t blame him. He was probably suffering from quirk exhaustion, so he let him sleep and stopped Sho’ when he tried to wake the kid up. All in all, it was around double the time Tsukauchi said when he finally came back into the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, now we can finally get on with this. Present Mic, if you don’t mind translating, it would make this process a lot easier for everyone involved.” Tsukauchi moved to sit down at his desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course! We should probably wake the little listener up now though.” Before Hizashi could even lay a finger on the kid, he glowed a bright pink and static noises were emanating from every single electronic device in the room. Aizawa held his shoulder in a vice grip, turning him to face the tv that once held all the cctv footage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hizashi stared at the tv with wide eyes as it glitched and played static. “What’s going on with the cameras? Is this yet another villain attack? Can you try getting them back on?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The picture glitched and changed to show a younger Steven. “I don’t think so.” Aizawa stated. He turned to the sleeping figure on the couch. “I think maybe the kid is causing this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The noticeably younger Steven and a few other people were sitting on a beach laughing and singing around a fire. “We are the crystal gems!” Little Steven sang along with three other women chiming in. They all wore outfits that suspiciously looked like hero costumes.</span>
  <em>
    <span> A hero group of some sort?</span>
  </em>
  <span> It took an immense amount of self control to not flinch when an animalistic screech sounded throughout the small office. The picture changed in the matter of a millisecond. The lovely scene was replaced with creatures from the stuff of nightmares popping out of the ground. A tall figure with an afro and big gauntlets attached to their hands was with Steven as he used his shield to protect himself left and right from the monsters. When attacked the monsters dissipated into smoke, leaving what looked like a gem behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She held the gem between her finger tips, inspecting what it was. Little Steven shuffled closer  to get a look. “It kinda looks like two gem shards stuck together.” They threw it away from themself in abject horror. “Is that what these things are? Gems… stuck together?” Steven shrieked. Garnet watched as yet another monster popped out of a column of dirt and did nothing but continue to look on in shock and horror. A bright glowing emitted from a gem floating in the air. The glowing took on the form of four other beings, screaming and trying to separate. Steven’s frantic talking went unheard. The picture glitched and more scenes were playing and overlapping each other. Multiple different voices were talking over it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These were crystal gems shattered into pieces. They were buried together-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the center of the earth lies the cluster. The cluster is a massive artificial fusion composed of millions of gem shards-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have to. Want to. Need to-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-They were forced to fuse. This is wrong-” The voices all blended together, each one shouting above all the rest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aizawa kneeled down to where Steven was sleeping on the couch and shook him. “Steven! Kid, wake up!” Erasure wouldn’t do a thing to him and no matter how hard they tried to shake him awake the kid wouldn’t even stir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then all the voices went quiet. Except for one. Everyone in the office stopped and returned their gaze back to the screen. The scene changed to show a woman Steven called ‘Pearl’ sitting defeated on a barren wasteland filled with scorch marks and abandoned weapons. “Homeworld… They were all leaving. We thought we won. There was a bright light-” The thing the villains had called ‘Nomu’ popped up on the screen and everyone in the room stopped. A high pitched, broken scream radiated throughout the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, only Steven’s thoughts could be heard as the Nomu’s picture fazed in and out with something else. “It’s like the cluster, and very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>not. </span>
  </em>
  <span>With the cluster, it was endless voices overlapping one another, this…” The Nomu screamed again, only this time it sounded way more humanistic. The Nomu’s body glitched in and out. Going from a terrifying monster to a regular looking man with blonde hair. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>-This </span>
  </em>
  <span>was a singular voice broken up in so many ways it didn’t sound human or even </span>
  <em>
    <span>humanoid, </span>
  </em>
  <span>at least not any more. What are they? A gem experiment? No. There’s no gem anywhere on their body and I put an end to the experiments. There aren’t any more! I made sure of it! That could only mean… no. No!</span>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
  <span> The nightmare ended and the tv turned off. Steven woke up screaming. He quickly latched onto the nearest person (who just so happened to be Aizawa) and started crying again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aizawa only had one thing to say. “What the hell was that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a long time for Steven to calm down enough to do what they came here to do. They sat him down in front of the desk in fear of him falling asleep on the couch again. A man came in holding a box full of the information and placed it on the desk. Tsukauchi rifled through the document filled box. He pulled out a paper showing the same blond haired guy from whatever was happening to the tv and put it in the center of his desk for everyone to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a picture of what the Nomu used to look like based on medical records. How did you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all watched with bated breath as his shaky hands came up to sign. Present Mic took the lead and began to interpret. </span>
  <b>“I don’t know.”</b>
  <span> Tsukauchi frowned. That gives them absolutely nothing and he can’t check to see if he’s lying because he needs a verbal response. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to the tv?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused. </span>
  <b>“It’s a part of my quirk. Sometimes my thoughts, memories, and even dreams end up on the nearest screen. I’m not entirely sure how to control it.”</b>
  <span> Aizawa and Yamada share a glance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid, that doesn’t make sense. Now your strength, speed, floating, and healing are all related. Your quirk is called Gem and the specific type is a rose quartz-" Steven flinched. "-which is said to have healing properties, so I can get how that could all be one quirk in its own right, but what does thought projection have to do with your quirk? You can’t have multiple quirks; it's simply impossible.” Aizawa stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there any way you can explain this?” Tsukauchi pushed further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. How could he even begin to explain all of that to them? Should he just come clean? This won’t be easy to tell them at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>“You wouldn’t understand.”</b>
  <span> Tsukauchi’s gaze sharpened. Hizashi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Help us understand then.” He pleaded. They won’t even believe him. Why should he bother? But… maybe they could help him? Steven let out a deep sigh. He’d do anything to find the gems. Anything. He doesn't even know why he kept this a secret for so long. Maybe to feel like a normal human being for once? The problem is where should he even start? He took a breath and finally felt the words come out of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A long time ago, there was someone called Pink Diamond-” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Don't Lie To Me, Please</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steven struggles with trying to tell the truth about how he's really feeling. Meanwhile, The Crystal Gems-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Connie shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Her grip tightened on the Diamond communication device. They’ll call if they find something. They’ll call if they find something. They’ll call-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if we can’t get him back?!” Amethyst yelled. The living room was in disarray from the past couple of days spent trying to scan every surface of the galaxy for a sign of where Steven might be. Many of Peridot’s scanners lay strewn across every piece of furniture. Pearl latched on to Garnet for comfort as tears welled up in her eyes. Garnet grew rigid, her expression unreadable under her visor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now isn’t the time to freak out.” Garnet gritted through her teeth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not the time to freak out? Not the time?! He’s been gone for over a week and we don’t know where he could be! Not even the Diamonds know. Don’t tell me not to freak out!” Amethyst tugged on her hair, a nervous tick Steven had unknowingly picked up. Connie got up from her place on the couch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on we can’t give up! We need to be strong. For Steven’s sake. We won’t ever find him if we don’t pull ourselves together!” Connie’s voice wavered through tears left unshed. “We’ll find him. We just need to have a plan. What was that object that Steven picked up before he disappeared?” Connie asked. Amethyst held her hand up to bring attention to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shrugged. “It kinda looked like that time traveling doodad from a long time ago.” She shifted and grew more… morose? Serious? “It’s my fault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can’t go spiraling. Get out of your pity party.” Connie deadpanned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is though! I messed with it and accidentally set it off! If I just didn’t touch it and paid more attention that portal never would have been made in the first place.” She sunk further into herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Connie waved her hands in front of her face. “Woah, woah wait. This is the first I’ve heard about a portal.” She raised a wary eye over to Garnet. She nodded, confirming her fears. “Okay. Um.” She dropped her head into her hands. “If there was a portal, then he must’ve been transported somewhere… or at some time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t a normal timey wimey thing though. It had two hourglasses in it and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> smaller.” Amethyst noted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Connie turned to Pearl who was still clinging to Garnet. Peridot and Pearl were looking into the platform where the device was stored after the incident. If anyone knew at least a smidge of what it was; it was going to be Pearl. “Pearl, what do you think that would mean? Do you have any ideas? Have you seen something like it before? What about you, Garnet? What can you see with your future vision?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t... I don’t know! I’ve never seen anything like it. Pink had a lot of things but I’ve never run into something like that.” Pearl broke out into a sob. Everyone looked to Garnet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t been able to see anything regarding Steven. I can’t see any future in where we would be able to find him or where he could be. My future vision has been working perfectly fine besides that… and that’s what worries me. It’s almost as if he doesn’t exist to my powers.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“B-But your powers get weird when what you're predicting is so far outside the realm of possibility, right? You said that once! Steven does impossible things all the time! He’ll come back.” Connie spoke with wavering determination. If no one else was going to stand up and take charge, she will. She will be the glue to hold this team together before things fall apart. For Steven. The device beeped in her hands and floated in the air to take the shape of a projection of all the Diamonds huddled together. Yellow spoke first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We found something you will want to check out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a long period of awkward silence and stares, Aizawa was the first one who finally spoke up. He glanced over to Tsukauchi who looked like he was having an existential crisis. “Is any of this true?” He asked from his position leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every word. He hasn’t lied once since he came here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven deflated in his seat. Why would he lie about the existence of Gems? Why would he lie about any of this? Did they really think that little of him? He just spent the past half an hour describing the Gems existence and a bit about the past.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, that explains the why. What about the how?” Aizawa looked at Steven with a weird mix of feelings on his face that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven fidgeted in his seat, suddenly feeling very see-through and uncomfortable. “We were on a mission and I found a weird gem artifact... It was my fault. I…Uh, I messed with it and got sucked into a portal. The next thing I knew I woke up here. Everything was different from what I knew about my society and the thing that brought me here was nowhere to be found.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there any way we can send you home? Maybe we could search for the artifact again? Or find another one of them.” Hizashi blurted out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it would be possible.” He breathed a heavy sigh. “Gems are a very developed society and they have a lot of high tech artifacts they developed over the years. When I was young I went on a mission with the Crystal Gems to find this thing called a time glass. It was very rare and gave you the ability to send you back to whatever time you asked it to. The thing that brought me here looked very similar to it, only I think it had two hourglasses in it instead of one. I think it may have been a sort of alternate universe transporter or whatever. That’s the only thing that makes sense. At first, I tried to rationalize the situation and thought that the Gems may have just been back in America but… They wouldn’t just leave me. At least, I don’t think. They’re very overprotective and probably would’ve just scanned the whole galaxy for a sign of me. In my world only the Gems and I have powers. Humans can’t do the things I can. An alternate world is the only thing that makes sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So where you come from, all humans are quirkless?” Hizashi asked. At least he’s entertaining him. He knows how crazy all of this sounds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure. Connie or Pearl would’ve definitely told me if humans could do stuff like that. At least, I think. It’s been hard to keep everything straight nowadays. Like I can remember being locked up with Connie in a tower on Homeworld but I can’t seem to recall the name of that pizza place I always visited.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did you mean by locked up?” Tsukauchi prompted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that important.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing to worry about. I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kid, It’s okay not to be okay. If it has nothing to do with the current issue at hand we can drop it. For now.” Aizawa stated. And oh, Steven did not like the implication of </span>
  <em>
    <span>for now.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He gave a simple nod in acknowledgment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aizawa sighed. “We need a verbal answer kid.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t have anything to do with the issue at hand.” He echoed back and breathed a sigh of relief when Tsukauchi nodded and they did indeed drop the subject. </span>
  <em>
    <span>For now.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Nagged at the back of his head. They continued to talk about what to do about his presence and how to send him home. It was a painstaking debate. Each idea being shot down because none of them knew how the artifact worked to an extent and where it might be. What if it was broken, or someone just picked it up, and what that might imply. An hour had been wasted going back and forth until someone had phoned Tsukauchi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re here? No, no. It’s okay. I think we’re done here. You can send them in.” He put his phone back down on his desk. “Your family is here to pick you up, Steven. It was nice meeting you. I hope we’ll be able to work through this and get you home as soon as possible.” Aizawa and Present Mic wholeheartedly agreed and sent him off with varying levels of goodbye. Steven chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven got up from his chair to politely open the door when it suddenly flung open with so much force it hit the wall. Nami, Tanjiro, and Kaida pulled him into a massive hug. He grew rigid for a few seconds before melting in their touch. He can tell that they must be worried about him with how tight they were holding onto him like he would disappear if they let go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stayed there just holding him for a few minutes before they drew back and brought him home. He trudged through the living room and sat on the couch. He stared at the blank TV screen, reflecting on everything that had just happened. The Gems aren’t in the world like he had been trying to convince himself for the past 10 months. What was the point? What was the point of anything he had done? He dropped his head in his hands. There’s next to nothing he can do about the situation he’s in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven lifted his head to find Kaida standing in front of him. She had tried to hide lacerations and cuts with her clothes but Steven could see the blood seep through the cloth. Concern flooded his senses. “Hey, are you okay?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him like he told her cows were purple. “You idiot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She exploded. “I’m supposed to be asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> that! You just got attacked by villains. And not the usual purse thief you see on TV. Actual. Fucking. Villains. You could have died!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kaida, calm down! Yelling at him isn’t going to fix anything.” Nami snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She clenched her hands into fists at her sides. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. “Don’t you dare go around acting like you aren’t affected by that because I can tell it does. Pretending you’re fine doesn’t mean you are!” She paused. “So... How are you doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven let out a wet chuckle. “Pretty crappy right now.” He opened his arms and she fell into them. “Man, I really am a terrible brother.” His voice was muffled by her pinned-up hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re not. You just don’t need to lie to me.” She drew back from the hug and looked him in the eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then let’s make a promise not to lie to each other about what we’re feeling okay?” He wiped the tears from her eyes. She stiffened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I... I’ll try.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I’ll try too.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I swear this chapter changed around so many times. All the changes were welcome though. The scene with Kaida broke my heart a little though.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Trip to the Mall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A friendly outing get's interrupted by *trauma.*</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter was waaaaay too long so I had to break this chapter in half. The trauma happened on its own I swear.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Nami looked up from her phone. Her hair glowed in the rising sun. “They’re giving everyone a day off to relax from what happened at the USJ. So do you wanna do something, Steven?” She was currently on one of her very rare off days and they usually went somewhere to blow off steam on days like this but today...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not really feeling up to going out today, Nami.” Steven said flatly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know you’re allowed to call me ‘Mom’ kiddo. Or a nickname!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I know. I’m just, uh.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not really comfortable with calling anyone mom just yet.” Or ever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida narrowed her eyes. “What? Were you abused by your mom as a child?” Nami and Tan froze like deer in headlights.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Steven sputtered. “Stars no! She died giving birth to me. She never laid a hand on me. Never really could. I lived with her family afterwards and they weren’t really comfortable with me calling any of them ‘mom’ so I never called anyone that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” She shrugged in her seat at the dining room table, going back to reading her comic book. “You’re not getting out of this by the way, I will drag you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nami covered her mouth in shock. “I’m so sorry Steven! I didn’t know… I’m sorry that happened to you. What was her name?” She blurted out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No need to be sorry. I never met her.” Not the real her anyway. “Her name was-” A beat of silence. “...Rose.” He said slowly. “I remember everyone always had an opinion about her when I was growing up. About her being a kind and great leader…” Or a horrible monster and abandoner. “But I didn’t know how to feel about her most of the time.” There were some points in his life where he would either feel sadness or anger at the person he called ‘mom’. He wanted to hate her for so long but that quickly became exhausting. She did horrible things but she did good too. The good things didn’t necessarily outweigh the bad things but it didn’t negate them either. He sometimes wishes he could talk to the real her. Even if for only a second. Whether to yell at or hug he couldn’t quite decide. She’s his mom and he couldn’t help but love her but her actions broke his heart and hurt the people he calls his friends. “It’s complicated.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m sure she was wonderful.” Nami stated. Steven bit back a response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hear there’s a festival going on somewhere near Kanazawa. Something about Quirks or whatever. It’s pretty interesting.” Kaida shifted her eyes between Steven and Tan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kanazawa is like three hours away by train!” Tan complained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just a suggestion.” She growled. “At least I’m coming up with ideas. It’s the only interesting thing that’s happening today and the only thing I would be able to go to.” The tension that was building up in the room was bordering on argument territory. Steven’s phone pinged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Pikachu</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Hey. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Mina, Jirou, and I are going to the mall if you wanna come with us. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Also Midoriya.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>And his friends.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Dang.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>This really became a whole class trip now. :P</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven looked up at the ceiling for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Can my family come as well?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Idc ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>I’ll ask.</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Steven thought for a moment. “Why not go to the mall?” They all stared at him. “What? My friends are going as well. But I understand if you guys don’t wanna do that or think it’s too much of a hassle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s just…” She sighed. “Do you think you’ll be able to handle a place with that many people, right now?” Nami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made a face. “I’m not fragile. You guys were just suggesting a festival a few minutes ago… And if you went with us you could keep an eye on things and have fun too. Maybe meet my friends…” Steven held his breath. If he was being honest, he actually did want to go to this. And it might be nice introducing Kaida to all his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Tan interjected. “Are your friends okay with us tagging along?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, they’re fine with it.” Steven shuffled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see an issue then. What about you Kaida?” Nami turned her head towards her daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked a bit apprehensive but slowly stood up from her chair and made her way to her bedroom. “Sure. I’ll grab my wallet.” Her remark reminded Steven to head to his bedroom to grab his own wallet and he sent off a text to Kaminari letting them know he was in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida poked her head in his doorway a few minutes later. “Hey. I was wondering if you could do my hair? I can’t exactly see the back of my head.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked up and smiled. “Um. Sure! I’ll try.” A few minutes passed by when Steven finally pulled his hands back and handed her a mirror. Her hair was too short in some places to do a normal fishtail braid so he looked up how to do a french braid instead. It looked pretty good in Steven’s opinion. He smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared into the mirror for a solid minute before saying, “Wow. You’re really good at this.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I try. Oh by the way,I noticed you were a bit hesitant when I suggested the mall. Does it make you uncomfortable? We can choose to go somewhere else if you’d like.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. It’s just…” She bit her lip. “If something happens leave it be. Don’t cause a scene please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” He looked at her shocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make a scene.” She pleaded, looking him right in the eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” He cleared his throat. “I can’t promise-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A beat of silence. “I’ll try. I make no promises for my friends though.” She looked downcast and silently left his room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>///</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mall was huge. It had everything he could ever think of and more. His eyes scanned each window and shelf before landing on bright yellow hair with a black lightning bolt running through it standing right in the middle of the food court. Kaminari was right, it looked like half the class showed up. The only ones who weren’t there were Kouda, Tokoyami, Todoroki, and a few others. Iida was currently reprimanding Mina for sitting on the food court table and Bakugou was screaming at Kirishima for one thing or another. It took a few minutes of searching but he finally found Midoriya in the crowd standing off to the side with Uraraka. He grabbed Kaida’s hand and ran up to them. Nami and Tanjiro tailing behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uraraka locked eyes with Steven. “Hey Steven! Glad you could make it! Who’s with you?” Half the class noticed the new company and walked over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is my sister, Kaida.” Kaida tore her hand away from Steven’s. She crossed her arms and glared at them all and only Bakugou had the gall to glare back. “And that’s Nami and Tanjiro, my adoptive parents.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is a pleasure to meet you all. As class representative I have a schedule and procedure in place to explore the mall in the utmost efficient manner!” He chopped his hand through the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya hesitantly strode up to Nami with star struck eyes. “I know you! You’re the Time Hero: Stop Motion!” He practically vibrated with excited energy. Nami’s eyes lit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well hello! You must be Midoriya. It’s nice to meet you.” Nami ruffled his hair, making sure to keep her pinky up she couldn’t accidentally use her quirk on him. She turned to the rest of the class. “Tan and I will be watching but we’ll make sure to not get in anyone’s way.” Everyone nodded in agreement. Well, Bakugou may have scoffed, but Steven assumed it was in agreement. She grabbed Kaida by the arm. “Don’t wander off and stay with Steven.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you? My handler? I don’t need a babysitter.” She grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. I’m your mother and wish not to look around the entire mall for you if you happened to get lost, squirt.” She tried to ruffled Kaida’s hair but was stopped by her shoving her hand away. Nami sighed. “Just do what I ask this once, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida bit her lip. “Fine.” Nami released her grip and Kaida walked back to where Steven was hanging with his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Steven. What are you looking for?” Uraraka asked. “I was going to look for some new clothes and Deku was going to check out their hero merch. I think Iida-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was looking for some new planners!” Iida said and therefore gasped dramatically when he realized that he cut Uraraka off and bowed deeply. “I am very sorry for interrupting you. It was extremely rude of me to assume. I hope you accept my apology.” Kaida giggled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Uraraka rushed to assure him. “Iida. It’s fine! I wasn’t offended or anything!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven shrugged. “I’m just window shopping really. What about you Kaida?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need new, durable clothes. I don’t care if they’re ugly they just have to hold up and conform to my school’s uniform.” Kaida ghosted a hand over her arms that Steven knew had scars she had covered with a leather jacket. He frowned. He wishes he could help with this. If it were up to him he would march right up to her school and talk some sense into the people that have been harassing her. Except… Kaida wouldn’t want that. She never liked him doing things for her even if he had good intentions. She would just see it as him belittling her. He hates it, but there are some things that people have to do on their own. It took him a long time to understand that and he wasn’t about to step over her boundaries. If she asks for his help, he’ll gladly give it but until then he’s stuck on the sidelines. It’s just so frustrating! He just feels so useless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya looked up. “Oh, well I know a store that sells stuff like that relatively cheaply.” He smiled, but for some reason Steven felt it was more sad than anything else. Like he was remembering something he would rather forget.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could check that out first if that’s fine with you guys.” When everyone nodded in agreement, Steven turned and ran up to Nami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey. We’re gonna head off and look at a few stores.” Steven said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Make sure to keep your phone on the entire time and call us if anything happens. Don’t let Kaida out of your sight, you hear?” Nami stared him down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise.” He stared right back. They didn’t stay there much longer. Nami and Tan went to inspect the food court and the rest of the class scattered across the mall. They all walked side by side with each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh by the way,” Uraraka started, “We’re all heading to the movies after this if you’re up for that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven smiled. “I haven’t been to the movies in like forever! I’ll make sure to ask.” He chirped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The store wasn’t that far away and it had some pretty great stuff. Steven checked around the store with Kaida in tow and everyone helped her find what she needed. He picked up a fairly plain button up. He gave an experimental tug. Yep, that shouldn’t be ripping anytime soon. It felt elastic but tough. “Hey Kaida. Is this what you’re looking for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She yanked it out of his hands, her eyes wide. “Yeah!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a few more of the same shirt and threw them over his shoulder. “We should-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! We found more stuff over here!” Uraraka shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We also found more with the same durable fabric for casual dress!” Iida sliced his hand through the air. “They have a whole collection in the back corner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s really not necessary.” Kaida mumbled and backed slightly behind Steven. “I only need school clothes with this material. It would just be a waste of money to get something like this for normal clothes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I apologize. I just assumed it was to accommodate your quirk.” Iida put back the clothes he found on the rack he got them from. Kaida flinched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not for a quirk. It’s okay.” Midoriya’s frown deepened, but he quickly schooled his face. Steven wrapped a hand around her shoulder. Just loose enough so she could get out of the side hug if wanted. He half expected her to shove his arm away but instead she slowly relaxed in his hold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think just a button up and some pants or skirts with this material should be fine.” Steven said. After grabbing around three pairs of everything they needed, the group slowly walked to the register.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Uraraka didn’t you want to get some new clothes?” Midoriya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything here is more expensive than I thought so I’m still looking.” Her face turned red. “I only brought like thirty bucks or so…” Steven racked his brain for Pearls economic lectures. He looked down at the price tags on the clothes he bought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They were only around 40 dollars a piece? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Yeah I guess these are pretty expensive… I’ve never gotten these before so I never knew it cost that much.” Midoriya said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s expensive?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iida brought out a small planner filled to the brim and skimmed through till he hit the last page. “There are many stores here. It’s inevitable that we should be able to find a store selling moderately cheap clothes.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaida perked up and snagged the price tag and Steven abruptly stopped. “There’s no way we can pay for these Steven!” She hissed. “I wish you told me how much they cost before picking them up.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can pay for everything. I got more cash then I know what to do with.” He ignored Kaida burning holes into his back and continued walking all the way up to the cashier and pulling out his wallet. Uraraka’s eyes bulged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> your wallet?!” She shrieked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iida rounded on her. “Uraraka! Indoor voice, please!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh sorry.” She reeled in her surprised expression. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled out a lot of money from it and handed it to the cashier. “Yeah. What about it?” He went to the bank beforehand to convert his money so it should be fine. Why is she freaking out?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh nothing. Just that it could pay my rent for 50 years.” She guffawed. Steven grabbed the bag full of clothes off the counter and headed for the door. The group raced to catch up to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your family must be really rich!” Midoriya chirped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not at first.” He laughed. “I actually grew up in a van till I moved in with my mom’s family. Then one of my dad’s songs got turned into a famous jingle and he got a lot of money from it. He gave me some money before I left on my road trip. I guess I didn’t really have to worry about it too much. I sometimes forget how much it matters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Must be nice.” Uraraka sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really know much about economics because of that, though.” He huffed. He didn’t get to learn a lot of things. “There were some things I never learned about growing up that mattered more than anyone would really think about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like?” Midoriya tilted his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Social skills with people your age.” Steven shrugged. “Taxes, how to get a bank account, etc. I could go on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Were you really shy at your previous schools?” Uraraka sidled up next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t go to school.” The whole group stopped in their tracks. Steven turned around and gave them a confused look. “Aren’t we gonna go into this store?” He pointed at a nearby clothing store.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You never went to school when you were young?!” Iida shouted. People walking by shot them weird glances. Midoriya’s mouth dropped to the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah? My…” Steven paused. “-The Gems and my dad never sent me to school because they said I wasn’t like other kids. That was always their reasoning… Pearl taught me everything they thought was necessary for me to know and whatever I asked about.” He huffed. “That’s actually how I learned Japanese. I was watching an anime with the subtitles on and Pearl came in and was like ‘I don’t understand why people watch something they can’t even understand the language of. Honestly, if you want to watch it just learn the language.’ And she started teaching me the next day when I asked about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“School is important for kids of all ages to gain important skills we’ll use later on in life! I don’t understand why they would do that.” Iida chopped a hand through the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is a bit concerning, Steven. Were you even allowed to interact with anyone your age?” Uraraka put a hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course! I knew almost everyone in my town. Only Connie is close to my age but what can you do? It’s not like they forbid me from seeing other humans. They just wanted to teach me themselves.” He reasoned. “And I guess since my mom died that played a role in things. When I was young it was really weird. It was like they wanted to protect me from everything one minute and the next it was too painful to look me in the eyes. Now that I look back on everything I just realized how many times I was left alone. Their missions were really long sometimes and I can’t fault them for that, but I guess I became self-sufficient at a very young age.” He blinked. “Wow! That turned depressing!” He flashed a blinding smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Deku squad and his sister just stared at him. “Are you okay? This was your bio family right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It sounds worse than it actually was. I was basically just homeschooled. That’s all there was to it.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>And occasionally fighting corrupted gems in our free time.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Missions? Oh right, didn’t you say your family was a part of a hero group?” Midoriya looked at it with intense curiosity. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, I did say that didn’t I?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” It was technically the truth. “The Crystal Gems. I doubt you would be able to find anything on them, though.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Because they are in another dimension of some sort.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why is that? Are they like Aizawa-sensei?” Uraraka asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They don’t like the media, I don’t think. They always said they didn’t do their work for any praise or recognition. They were the protectors of humanity and did it without thanks.” Steven smiled. “So yeah, I guess they</span>
  <em>
    <span> are</span>
  </em>
  <span> like Aizawa-sensei.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is a very notable intention indeed. They certainly have a mindset of a majority of underground heroes.” Iida stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if they went on missions for extensive periods of time it would make sense why Steven would have often been left on his own. Uh... Not that that was in any way an okay thing for them to do. Though, I wonder why he lived with his mother’s family if they were all busy with their jobs… Not that I’m trying to pry! There must’ve been plenty of reasons why that decision was made. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to impose!” Midoriya was quick to apologize.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven barked out a laugh. “No, it’s okay. No need to apologize, you were just asking a question. And if you have to know, my dad doesn’t really know a thing about how to handle my powers so I lived with my…” Steven racked his brain. “-aunts! My aunts all have quirks that are similar to mine so I would train with them and they helped me develop mine. I still visited and hung out with my dad on a regular basis but I lived with the gems for a good chunk of my life.” They walked past a store that was filled to the brim with small plushies of animals and heroes. Steven ran up and face-planted the window. “Look at all the plushies, they're all so cute!” He squealed. “I want all of them.” The group gave a hearty chuckle and turned to enter the store.</span>
</p>
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